Bridge in the Alps, paragliding on the light pole: burned by the electric discharge

A young Pontalpine miraculous in the accident between the houses of Casan. Taken to the hospital for a burn on his leg. Fraction without current

BRIDGE IN THE ALPS. Paragliding lands on the pole of the electricity grid: the pilot who remained hanging with the glider was burned, after having burned a calf that hit the cables of the twenty thousand Volt line that feeds Casan’s houses.

Matteo De March, 37 years old, from Pontalpino, was still under observation yesterday afternoon in the emergency room where he would spend the night: the young Pontalpine was a miracle, the unfortunate protagonist of this paragliding outing. Of course he could suffer much more serious damage, considering the power supply to the electric line brought from the pole.

The accident occurred around 11.40 yesterday morning: the inhabitants of Casan were attracted by a big blow. «I heard an explosion», says a resident, «and we were without current: when I looked out I saw this wing hanging, together with the pilot still on the pole».

De March was apparently trying to land on a lawn ahead: two or three hundred meters beyond. He had already landed the pilot of another paraglider who had anticipated him.

Instead, he took full power from the electricity wires: he was injured in the leg, a calf received a burn.

The first to help him were the residents who witnessed the accident and who rushed to check on his condition.

Like the family of the municipal councilor of Ponte Paolo De Vettor: «We felt the blow and the light went out: it practically fell on my land, in the midst of Casan’s houses. The glider was left hanging, my brother slowly let the pilot down. I have problems walking in this period so I arrived that he had been rescued: he was lucky because the twenty thousand Volt discharge is definitely a problem if taken in full. He accused a discharge in the calf that suffered a burn ».

The young man was rescued by the doctors: apart from the burn in his leg, he was conscious and present. He was transferred to the San Martino emergency room aboard the ambulance sent by Suem: yesterday afternoon he was still under observation in the emergency room.

The other paraglider came out of the mission unscathed: it landed further ahead than the point of the accident.

A police patrol dealt with the dynamics of the incident.

The firefighters of Belluno and also the technicians of Enel Distribuzione who had to free the pole from the entangled and dangling sail intervened on the spot. For a couple of hours the whole village was without electricity, the time to secure the pole and line.