Authorities rescue Md. man following hang glider crash

[TQ]

WOODSTOCK — Shenandoah County fire and rescue authorities spent about three hours rescuing a Maryland man who crashed his hang glider off Massanutten Mountain late Tuesday afternoon.

County Fire Chief Gary Yew found Laslow Lovei, 52, of Bethesda, at the bottom of a ridge after the man failed to get enough lift when he took off around 4:30 p.m. Lovei was taken by helicopter to Winchester Medical Center around 7:15 p.m. complaining of pain in his chest, abdomen and hips, Yew said at the scene.

The man's injuries were actually the result of his attempt to rescue himself from the tree he hit, Yew said. Lovei hit the tree about one-third of a mile down the mountain and tried to unharness himself, at which point he fell about 25 feet out of the tree and hit a steep slope, sending him rolling another 150 feet until he reached the bottom of the ridge, he said.

More...
http://www.nvdaily.com/news/301681259604703.bsp

[brianvh]

Dammit. At least we was still well enough to complain after all that. I wonder if he called it in himself or someone else did? I hope he has no lasting injuries.

[Matthew]

Try reading the Paragliding Forum once in a while. NOT a hang glider. A paraglider.

Reporters are idiots!!! Joe Schad was on scene and repeatedly told the reporter that it was a paraglider and not a hang glider. And still.

UGH!!!

Anyway, if you haven't looked at the PG Forum. Lazlo has a broken pelvis. He's expected to make a full recovery.

Matthew

[RedBaron]

Who cares if it's a PG or a HG. It's all the same in my book. Is it true that Lazlo flew by himself???

[dbodner]

Despite the obvious mistake, I thought it was a pretty good article. Nice quotes from the locals. Best wishes for Laszlo.

[jimrooney]

Um, guys... to the general public, we ARE the same thing. To them, we're nutjobs that jump off of mountains. We're the only ones that care about the tiny details of how we jump. And yes, I'm using the term "jump" to irritate you. Cuz in their language, that IS what we do. And from their perspective... THEY ARE RIGHT. This is an article written for the general public in the general public's language. Get over it.

Go read the article and enjoy how much they actually got "right" (from our perspective). I found the article to be rather well written, far better than what we normally see.

[Matthew]

Just because the general public is uninformed, that is not an excuse for the media to make mistakes. The reporter was repeatedly told that the glider was a paraglider and the reporter and editor still got it wrong-- no fact checking or even simple research to find out the difference between the two types of glider. It takes two minutes on google. There is no excuse for this type of journalistic sloppiness. And this happens all of the time in the media-- incorrect facts, misleading statments, out of context quotes, just plain laziness and stupidity. I find it even more troubling that people seem willing to accept inept reporting from the press.

Matthew

[jimrooney]

You're right!
Let's string the bastard up! This wanton disregard for journalistic accuracy can not and will not be tolerated!

[Matthew]

Or, you can write or email the paper...

Matthew

[jimrooney]

Yes... you can.
I'm saying take a step back for a minute... a deep breath... and realize that this report is far better than what we usually get. I'd proceed accordingly. In my book, this would begin with complimenting him on getting so much correct.

But hey, that's just me.
Feel free to be as pedantic as you wish.
Jim

[Batman]

Isn't being pedantic against the law ... well except in West Virgina

[RedBaron]

Why is the discrimination between PG's and HG's so important to you Matthew when it's obvious that the public and many pilots don't care?

You're right!
Let's string the bastard up! This wanton disregard for journalistic accuracy can not and will not be tolerated!

Too funny.

[Matthew]

It's not just a matter of HG and PG, it's the lack of accuracy in the media in all areas.

Again, I am at a loss as to how anyone can be cavalier or uncaring when it comes to an expectation of receiving accurate information from the press. That's the job of the press-- to provide accurate information to the public.

Matthew

[Batman]

...and to keep the pedantics under control. PERVERTS!

[Danny Brotto]

Matthew's 100% right, paragliders are not hang gliders. Paragliders are parachutes disguising themselves as hang gliders. Not only did they fool the reporter, they fooled the magazine editor. Just kidding.

Glad he's going to be okay. Anybody have more information as to what happened?

Danny Brotto

[Dan T]

How about writing to the paper and asking for a correction? Perhaps sending a picture of each and a brief explanation of which is which would be a way to introduce the readers to the distinction between the two aircraft. The letter could close by thanking the rescue team for assisting one of our sister sport paraglider pilots.

It seems like a chance for some good PR to me. I bet I know the perfect candidate to write the letter and so do you.

Dan T