Dramatic moment paraglider who crashed into cliff is pulled to safety in harrowing rescue mission

A paraglider came crashing down onto a California cliff Wednesday and got stranded roughly 500 feet below the top, forcing rescuers to pull him out by helicopter.The solo pilot crashed just north of Mussel Rock in Daly City shortly after 4 p.m.and was found trapped on “extremely rough terrain,” according to Daly City Fire Fighters Local 400.The CHP’s Golden Gate Division air operations, Daly City firefighters and an American Medical Response ambulance all rushed to the scene.But with the man stranded high above the beach, rescuers needed an aircraft to get him out.A CHP helicopter arrived with a Daly City Fire Department rescue technician, who was lowered down the sheer cliff face to reach the paraglider.Video from the rescue shows the technician making his way down to the trapped man.

Moments later, both were hauled hundreds of feet back up to the helicopter.The injured paraglider was taken by ambulance to a local trauma center with moderate injuries, the North County Fire Authority said.His condition was not known.The entire response took about 90 minutes, from the initial emergency call to the rescue, hospital transport and clearing of the scene.And this was not the Bay Area’s only recent cliffside rescue.Earlier this week, San Francisco firefighters saved a dog near Dead Man’s Point by Lands End after its owner reported that it had gone over the edge....