Paraglider rescued by bomberos after hanging for four hours from high power cables

[Janet]

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Quite a major operation has been underway since around 6pm this evening to rescue a 50-year-old paraglider who became tangled in high power electrical cables as he came down to land over the TF13 near the mirador Playa El Arenal north of La Laguna. Around 10pm he was finally released and transferred to hospital, thankfully with only minor injuries, but the operation to release him required the involvement of police, a rescue helicopter and finally bomberos with a self-propelling telescopic 50m crane. Electricity supplies to Punta del Hidalgo and Las Carboneras had to be shut off to make the cable safe while the rescue was underway. It's not all that easy to make out the situation in the above photo but it has been released by emergency services after being taken from the helicopter involved in the initial abortive rescue attempt. It is just possible to make out the paraglider hanging by his parachute from the cables.  JA

[Myrtle Hogan-Lance]

I'm sorry, my first reaction to the headline was to nearly spit out my tea.  Think he'll be charged for the rescue?

[Janet]

suspect not, unless they can show negligence ...

[Perikles]

Think he'll be charged for the rescue?

He was probably charged by a very high voltage. What a shocking joke - I thought it had potential. Watt the hell...

[Myrtle Hogan-Lance]

Sizzling wit.

[Pete]

Gave me a bit of a jolt seeing those jokes. Shocked, I tell you, shocked. I didn't realise there was such a lightning wit around...

[Perikles]

Ohm y god! There's AMPple evidence of current wit.

[Myrtle Hogan-Lance]

Watt a wit.  Electric.  On current form sparks will fly.

[Guanche]

Don't want to pylon the pressure for this guy but he may need to wire some currency from his current account to pay for the rescue if they decide to charge him. I can see the positives and negatives in the policy of holding people responsible for their rescues. But it must cause a lot of tension in the minds of sports men and women and may put them off their sport Faraday or two with shock. I am sure the sports tourism Dept and Emergency rescue dept are poles apart and no doubt there will be a battery of questions asked in relation to the policy if this man is charged.

[Janet]

Wonder if they'll put him in a cell .... 

Thank you Perikles ...