A YouTuber is lucky to be alive after crashing his paramotor when it overturned and fell into the desert at 78 km/h.
Anthony Vella, 33, was testing a BGD Luna 3 at Enchanted Rock State Park northwest of Austin when he suddenly collapsed 85 to 100 feet in the air.
He bravely shared the full video of the accident and much of the half hour he spent lying on the ground in agony until paramedics arrived at his remote location.
Vella did not say in the introduction to the video, posted Saturday, when the accident occurred, but his previous video was posted eight days earlier.
The video began with him in his hospital bed, where he is being treated for a broken neck, back and pelvis and a shattered right arm.
Anthony Vella suffered a broken neck, back and pelvis and a shattered right arm when his paramotor overturned and plummeted into the desert at 78km/h.
He explained that the accident was due to the fact that he lost a small pension knot during his checks before taking off.
Applying brakes to a fully accelerated glider collapses it, and a snagged tension knot has the same effect.
Vella showed the accident from three different angles as he fell to Earth and immediately screamed in pain from his severe injuries.
“Please help me, I crashed my flying machine,” he told an operator after frantically asking Siri to call 911.
A good Samaritan arrived two minutes after the accident and two minutes later his friend, who took the paramotor from him.
The former later explained that they were working nearby and said he saw him fall from the sky and run over after calling an ambulance.
However, most spoke Spanish, so Vella had to continue talking to the dispatcher between screams of pain.
“Oh, damn, my arm is totally broken,” he said after examining himself.
Vella, 33, was testing a BGD Luna 3 at Enchanted Rock State Park northwest of Austin when it suddenly collapsed 85 to 100 feet in the air.
He explained that the accident was due to the fact that he lost a small pension knot during his checks before taking off.
Vella’s paramotor suddenly spins, sending him crashing to Earth
The operator asked him if he was bleeding or had any other injuries and he replied that he didn’t think so, but he couldn’t see because he was wearing a thick jacket.
It would later turn out that this was very wrong, as he had many other injuries.
Finally, one of the men who came to his aid was able to call his wife Leandra Vella and break the news to her.
‘The glider collapsed and my arm broke… I’ll be fine, my love, don’t worry,’ he told her.
She responded incredulously: ‘What do you mean, don’t worry?’
Leandra said she would get someone to watch her daughters and run to where he was.
He tries to correct the fall but it is useless and he falls 85 to 100 feet to the desert below.
A good Samaritan arrived two minutes after the accident and two minutes later his friend, who took the paramotor from him.
About 12 minutes after the accident, the man who stayed with him could see the ambulance in the distance, but was having trouble reaching them.
The video then cut to when the paramedics arrived and he told them he thought he had been there for about 30 minutes.
“I’m glad I didn’t rupture my aorta,” he said.
As the paramedics asked about his condition and what had happened, Leandra arrived and ran to his side in a panic.
Paramedics splinted his arm as he screamed in pain and told him they would give him morphine as they lifted him onto a stretcher.
“Considering you fell from the sky, you’re doing pretty well,” one of them said.
As the paramedics asked about his condition and what had happened, Leandra arrived and ran to his side in a panic.
Vella explains that he is about to try paramotoring as he dresses and prepares to fly
Vella promised to document his recovery and return to the skies as soon as possible.
Leandra profusely thanked the workers who rushed to help him as the ambulance crossed the desert toward the hospital.
From his hospital bed, Vella said he did not blame the paramotor as it was an excellent machine, and warned spectators to triple check their paraglider before taking off.
‘All injuries listed required surgery. “These have been the most challenging days for him, but in true Anthony style, he continues to smile and make those around him laugh,” Leandra wrote in the video’s description.
‘We have felt the love and support from all of you and we will never be able to express how much it means to him, me and our family.
“Anthony is very excited to be strong and active again.”
Vella promised to document his recovery and return to the skies as soon as possible.
