Forresters Beach: Paraglider winched from rocks with broken hip after crash

A paraglider, aged in his 60s, has been winched from rocks with a suspected broken pelvis and ribs after crashing at Forresters Beach.

A local doctor and paragliding enthusiast has been flown to Royal North Shore Hospital with a suspected broken pelvis and rib fractures after crashing onto rocks at Forresters Beach.

The man, aged in his 60s, is reported to have called emergency services himself about 1.40pm on Monday after crashing into rocks at the base of the northern headland at Forresters Beach.

A doctor, in his 60s, was winched from rocks at Forresters Beach

Pictures: Richard Noone

He was treated at the scene for a suspected broken pelvis and fractured ribs before he was winched from the rocks by the Toll Rescue Helicopter.

He was then flown to hospital in a stable condition.

It is understood the man parked his car at Crackneck Lookout at Bateau Bay and set off from there before encountering difficulties and crashing heavily onto rocks beneath the Forresters Beach paragliding and hang gliding launch site at the top of Cromarty Hill Rd.

Almost there, a paraglider is winched from rocks at Forresters Beach.

In you go, the man is loaded into the Toll helicopter. Pictures: Richard Noone

A fellow pilot said the doctor, from Forresters Beach, “shouldn’t have been flying” in the conditions with little to no wind.

“He didn’t have enough lift,” he said.

It is understood the doctor was an experienced paragliding pilot and an investigation is expected to be carried out by the Sports Aviation Federation of Australia on behalf of the Civil Aviation Safety Authority.

The man was flown to Royal North Shore Hospital. Picture: Richard Noone