Rescue crews witness paraglider crash at Le Bons Bay while attending false alarm

It was the right place at the right time for rescue crews who were in the area to witness a paraglider crash into a tree in Canterbury. Photo / Greg Bowker

It was a case of being in the right place at the right time for rescue crews who witnessed a paraglider crash into a tree in Canterbury.

Garden City Helicopters, which operates the Westpac Rescue Helicopter, were sent to Le Bons Bay on the Banks Peninsula at about 1.10pm on Saturday.

Spokesman Simon Duncan told the Herald the helicopter was sent because of an accidental beacon activation set off by a paraglider.

They arrived to see that nobody was in danger, but crews then watched as another paraglider crash into a tree.

Duncan said the crew extracted the man from the tree and he was transported to Christchurch Hospital as he had suffered serious injuries to his arm.

The injured man knew the other person who had activated his beacon, Duncan said.

"We were the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff in this case."

Duncan said there is no indication of what caused the crash.