Paraglider Climbs Down Mountain With Two Broken Legs After Crash
Mar 14, 2020, 7:45 PM | Updated: 8:07 pm
TOOELE, Utah – A paraglider was sent to the hospital after he crashed and became stranded in a remote part of Tooele County. He spent over 24 hours in the wilderness, getting himself back to safety.
After breaking both legs, Jeremy Pottenger literally dragged himself on his palms and knuckles down a cliff and back to his truck. He said he was alive for one reason only.
His view Thursday night was about 2,000 feet off the valley floor.
“It was a beautiful night… just nice, gentle winds coming off (the mountain),” he said.
The usual leap of faith to get his paraglider going in the wind did not work this time.
“I leaned too far forward, and just went straight into the rocks below, and then rolled about four times,” Pottenger said.
Backlog story #2 is about a paraglider fell off a cliff, broke both legs, and still managed to painstakingly crawl his way back to safety. What kept him going. That exclusive interview, airs on @KSL5TV at 6:30pm, and it also has nothing to do with #covid19, or #utahcovid19 pic.twitter.com/tDqDDIm45p
— Mike Anderson (@mikeandersonKSL) March 13, 2020
Away from cellphone range, he was stranded, and it would soon start getting cold.
“(I) dug out a little bit of a bed… set up some rocks on the side… crawled into the glider, and prepared for the worst night of my life,” he said.
Pottenger said his dog kept him safe. The glider kept him warm.
The next morning, he started the excruciating journey down. The trip took from sunrise to sundown – all on his hands.
“God was just telling me – he’s like, ‘I got you, boy. Even though you can’t carry yourself right now, I’m carrying you down that hill,’” Pottenger said.
Once he finally got down, he still had to operate the pedals on his truck.
“I used a stick and my left foot to hit the brake,” he said.
Pottenger got food, and then continued to the hospital. He said an ambulance ride was out of the question.
“I don’t have insurance, really. A helicopter ride is like 10 grand. I can’t afford that,” he said.
Pottenger said he had to make it all the way up to McKay-Dee Hospital in Ogden, because his 12-year-old son lives nearby.
“I wanted him to know that if I didn’t make it through, that I tried to get back to him. I did everything I could, and it took 120 percent of all my effort to get off that mountain, and to get back to here, so I could be close to him,” he said.
Officials said Pottenger was lucky. He was expected to make a full recovery. He said he’ll eventually paraglide again, but admitted in this case, with this small-wing glider, he was in over his head.
He said he’ll take things slower in the future.
Pottenger’s family has created a GoFundMe account to help with his medical bills.*
*KSL TV does not assure that the money deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisers and otherwise proceed at your own risk.
