Crime & Safety
Paraglider Injured After Falling 500 Feet Into Lake Berryessa
Paraglider William Straw crashed into the water about 10 minutes after becoming airborne.
Bay City News Service
A paraglider was injured when he fell from 500 feet into Lake Berryessa Tuesday morning, a Napa County sheriff's captain said today.
William Straw, 69, a member of Eagle Paragliding, a training organization in Santa Barbara, was being towed on the lake by a boat operated by Kevin Howe, 44, of Santa Barbara around 11 a.m., sheriff's Capt. LeRoy Anderson said.
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When the boat got up to speed and Straw became airborne, Straw disconnected his glider from the boat, Anderson said. He glided for about 10 minutes before crashing into the lake from about 500 feet, Anderson said.
Howe retrieved Straw, who was unconscious for several minutes, out of the water and took him to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Visitor's Center on Knoxville Road. A REACH helicopter then flew Straw to Queen of the Valley Medical Center, Anderson said.
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The sheriff's office was notified of the incident at 11:09 a.m., Anderson said.
Straw's condition was not immediately available today.
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