Stranded paraglider rescued off Saddle Mountain Sunday

BEVERLY — A paraglider was rescued in a coordinated effort on Sunday after apparently crashing the craft near Beverly.

The unidentified female paraglider was stranded on a cliff on the north face of the Saddle Mountains after the incident Sunday afternoon according to the Grant County Sheriff’s Office. Rescue teams were able to reach the woman via climbing ropes and she was ultimately hoisted into an Army rescue helicopter about 7:15 p.m. and taken to Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital. The extent of the woman’s injuries were not released.

Local agencies responding to the scene to help in the rescue include Grant County Fire District No. 10’s high angle rescue team, Grant County Fire District No. 8’s rescue personnel, sheriff’s office patrol, search and rescue and Emergency Management Division members. A LifeFlight air ambulance and a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter and four-person rescue team, which are a part of the 16th Combat Aviation Brigade at Joint Base Lewis-McChord and assigned to the Army Air Ambulance Detachment at the Army’s Yakima Fire Center, also took part in the rescue mission.

“This was a great example of how we train for difficult rescues and reach out to our partnering agencies in order to bring enough people and resources to get the job done,” Grant County Fire District No. 10 Chief Eric Linn said.

The resources that were sent to the area by the Army were coordinated through the Washington Emergency Management Division at Camp Murray.

“It took a coordinated effort by everyone involved, and training and teamwork paid off,” Chief Deputy of Emergency Management Darrik Gregg said. “Great teamwork, and we all wish the paraglider well.”