Lifeguards Rescue Paraglider After Cliff Crash

A paraglider lost control and crashed into the rocks above Blacks Beach early on Thursday afternoon.

The victim was stuck on the cliff about 40 feet above the beach near the Torrey Pines Gliderport.

Witnesses who were gliding with the man who fell into the cliff said his name was Jason Travis, 21. They said he had been paragliding for about a year.

What apparently happened, according to witnesses, was that the paragliders were performing what are called "wing-overs," a maneuver during which a paraglider banks from left to right. Witnesses said they did not believe Travis was using his "brakes" properly and that he went into a full stall, which caused him to go into the cliff.

One of the men gliding with Travis -- the witness said he was the first person to reach the victim -- said that when he reached Travis, he complained that he could not move his legs. Some movement did return to Travis' legs later, though, the witness said.

Lifeguards and paramedics arrived about 10 minutes after the accident, and an hour after Travis hit the cliffs, he was lowered to the beach. He was brought to Scripps La Jolla Hospital with serious injuries.

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