{"id":19231,"date":"2019-03-11T11:11:53","date_gmt":"2019-03-11T11:11:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/associatednews.us\/content\/2019\/03\/11\/2-men-killed-in-san-diego-paragliding-crash\/"},"modified":"2019-03-11T11:11:53","modified_gmt":"2019-03-11T11:11:53","slug":"2-men-killed-in-san-diego-paragliding-crash","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/associatednews.us\/content\/2-men-killed-in-san-diego-paragliding-crash\/","title":{"rendered":"2 Men Killed In San Diego Paragliding Crash"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Matthew S. Schwartz<\/a><\/span> <\/p>\n

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Witnesses looked on in horror as two paragliders collided in midair and fell about 75 feet to their death over the weekend.<\/p>\n

The men have been identified <\/a>as 61-year-old Raul Gonzalez Valerio of Laguna Hills, Calif., and 43-year-old Glenn Johnny Peter Bengtsson of Carlsbad, Calif. They were paragliding off Torrey Pines, a popular cliff-side launching spot near the northern coast of San Diego, when the accident happened on Saturday afternoon.<\/p>\n

One paraglider was flying south when he allegedly made a hard right turn, placing himself in the path of the other man, San Diego Lifeguard Lt. Rich Stropky told the San Diego Union-Tribune<\/a>. Stropky said the lines from the harnesses to their canopies became tangled.<\/p>\n

It is unclear which man crossed the other’s path. One of the men was an experienced paraglider who was certified to fly on his own; the other was training for an advanced certification.<\/p>\n

The two were about 35 feet in the air when they crashed into each other. They twirled as they fell, witness Ryan Bloum told the Union-Tribune.<\/em> “Almost like a leaf falling,” he said.<\/p>\n

“They started spinning out and they went into the mountain,” witness Rami Abuhamra told NBC 7 San Diego.<\/p>\n

Authorities said they didn’t know if the fatal injury happened in the initial crash, or when they hit the steep cliff face about 45 feet below the edge.<\/p>\n