Posted on 08/04/2003 11:34:22 AM PDT by bedolido
SHORELINE, Wash. - It was a high-flying BASE jump stunt gone wrong: Three parachutists jumped off a radio tower in Shoreline, Wash.; one of them got stuck in some tower wires that left him dangling in the air for several hours.
In the early morning Monday hours, three men leapt from a 350-ft. observation platform of the 400-ft. radio tower on the Crista Ministries property in Shoreline, Wash. Two of the men made it down safely, but the third man’s parachute got caught in the lines some 140 feet in the air.
The one jumper who did not run away called for help, and a Shoreline Fire Department crew arrived at the scene.
Fire crews had to take to the air for a very dangerous high-angle rescue operation, being careful not to shake the guideline too much and cause the parachute to come loose. Lt. Michael Ryan climbed the tower, slid down the wire and lowered the man to the ground.
"Once I got into position where I was near him, I put a couple of attachment points on him, put a rescue harness on him and a pick off strap, and I was able to pick him up," said Ryan. "Once I had the weight of him on my harness, I was able to release him from his parachute and we lowered him down in the basket."
While hanging there, the man kept telling firefighters he was sorry.
“He kept apologizing for putting us out of service for so long,” said Ryan.
Once he was down on the ground, the 43-year-old college professor from Madison, Wisconsin, trembling and very cold, had very little to say.
"I'm just glad these guys came," said the parachutist.
He’ll now face criminal trespassing and reckless endangerment charges. The man who stayed at the scene will not.
“If they had gotten away with it, I guess no blood, no foul,” said Sgt. Kevin Fagerstrom, King County Sheriff’s Office. “It’s always when something goes wrong that the problems occur and fire crews and police crews have to put their lives at risk.”
Fire crews said the man was left dangling for three hours in very windy conditions. He initially refused medical treatment, but he did finally go to the hospital to get checked out.
BASE is an acronym for Building, Antenna, Span, and Earth. These are the fixed objects from which BASE jumps are made.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
"I'm just glad these guys came," said the parachutist.
Bwaaaahaaaahaaaahaaaaa!
"All your BASE are belong to us."
No harm, no foul... but now that this fella put the locals through a major hassle, I hope they bill the entire rescue to him.
Just damn.
If you want on the new list, FReepmail me. This IS a high-volume PING list...
Do these people train to protect Darwin Award candidates, or innocents who encounter mis-fortunate incidents?
Just curious and would appreciate a clarification from an expert.
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