A shocking incident unfolded recently in Minnesota, when a motorized powerglider collided with a set of power lines over Red River in Grand Forks, which resulted in it crashing directly into the waterway beneath. The incident reportedly occurred at around 8:30pm on Tuesday, July 8 near the Riverside Dam boat ramp, on the north side of Grand Forks. Fortunately, thanks to a river rescue from Grand Forks Fire Department, the pilot was not injured. Footage of the accident was recorded by a witness on a nearby bridge, and is currently making the rounds on social media.
The brief 13-second clip documents what happened as the accident unfolded in real time. From a nearby bridge, the cameraman captures the motorized paraglider as it flies through the air with its large blue parachute, and over the Red River. As the powered parachute passes over the bridge, however, it collides with a set of power lines, and you can see a momentary flash of electricity as the parachute makes contact with the cables.
The collision causes the parachute to malfunction, and you can see the motorized paraglider suddenly stop mid-flight and begin plummeting into the river below. The cameraman can be heard exclaiming in shock, “Whoa! Oh no! Oh geez!” According to the Grand Forks Herald, Grand Forks Fire Department and the Grand Forks Police Department were dispatched to the scene of the accident and “crews arrived to find a paraglider in the river“, though thankfully, “the pilot was uninjured.”
As the video continues to garner attention online, social media users flooded the comments to share their thoughts. One Redditor joked, “That’s how Brad Pitt died in Deadpool 2” while another lighthearted comment read, “New Mario Kart Gameplay looking different“. Another chipped in with, “Something tells me he shouldn’t be flying there“, while a fourth commenter weighed in, writing, “No situational awareness“.
Miraculously, the pilot walked away from the incident unscathed. However, it certainly serves as a cautionary tale to those who may be interested in using a motorized powerglider near any large bodies of water.
