British tourist ‘could have died’ after crashing into rocks in horror paragliding accident in Turkey
WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGES BELOW
A British tourist has said she is lucky to be alive after surviving a horror paragliding crash while on holiday in Turkey.
Charlotte Baker, 31, from Burton, East Staffordshire, said she “could have died” when she collided with rocks.
She said she had took part in paragliding from the same location five years previously.
Ms Baker suffered a hepatoma on her leg and broke her hand in the accident on July 31.
Her aircraft failed to glide and she crashed along some rocks.
“I was strapped up into the tandem paraglide and we made it to the mountain when the pilot said we might have to cancel because the wind wasn’t great,” she told the Derby Telegraph.
"We were waiting at the top of the mountain for about 10 minutes and I texted my family, who were waiting below, to tell them what colour my paraglide was and that there was a delay.
“We got to the edge and we didn’t take off. It didn’t naturally glide like it was meant to and we just started going down.
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"I knew then that it was completely out of control. I was banging into rocks and I knew then I was hurt. I could see blood all over my legs and hand.
"At the time it was going so quickly and I went into sort of survival mode. My first thought was is the pilot okay because if he is panicking then I am stuffed.
"I remember looking at him and he told me he would get me down safely. He put my mind at ease and did well to get us back up in the air.
"We were 6,500 feet up in the air and it took 10 to 15 minutes to land. I just wanted to get down to safety as quickly as possible."
An ambulance was waiting for Ms Baker when she landed on the beach.
"My family saw the ambulance arrive but didn’t think anything of it. They certainly didn’t anticipate it was for me. Then my partner saw me land on the beach and ran over. I just kept telling them I am ok.
"They got me on a flatboard stretcher and whisked me off to the hospital. All I remember was moving my legs. I was so scared because all I could see was blood. I didn’t know if I was paralysed."
She added: "If it happened in the UK the hospital would have kept me overnight but I was there for two hours and it was awful.
"They stapled my hand, knee, leg, foot, bandaged me up, gave me painkillers and sent me on my way.
"We went back to our accommodation and I just sat there waiting to go home."
Ms Baker and her family flew home on August 3 and she is still recovering.
"I've had to have time off work and I think I'm going to have a few scars,” she said.
"I certainly won’t be paragliding again. It could have been so much worse and I could have died."
