Parag leader accident on Emberger Alm: 77-year-old seriously injured!

Parag leader accident on Emberger Alm: 77-year-old seriously injured!

On June 10, 2025, a serious accident occurred at the paragliding on the Emberger Alm in the municipality of Berg in the Drautal, Spittal district. A 77-year-old parag leader from Germany came on turbulence on the landing approach and was caught by a sudden wind gust. This led him to lose control of his umbrella. The pilot dropped and collided with a parked car in a parking lot, which led to damage to the right side of the vehicle. The parag leader suffered injuries of an indefinite degree and was immediately taken care of by two paramedics of the Red Cross Greifenburg, two first responders and the team of the emergency doctor helicopter "RK1" before being transported to the District Hospital Spittal an der Drau. Click Carinthia reports that the incident took place around 11:00 a.m.

This accident is not the only incident that has been held at the Emberger Alm in the past few weeks. On April 28, 2025, a 60-year-old German parag leader fell into the tree top during his approach, about 5 meters above the ground. At that time, the weather conditions were stable. The crash was the result of a sudden problem, in which the paraglimger folded about 200 meters above the ground, which led to a loss of control. The rescue workers, including the fire brigade and mountain rescue, were quickly on site and brought the injured to the Spittal hospital at the Drau with indefinite injuries. The RK1 emergency helicopter was also used here. 5min provides further details about this incident.

frequent accidents and security discussions

The increase in parag leaders raises questions about security in this sport. According to [Kleine Zeitung] (https://www.kleinezeitung.at/oesterreich/5995953/Paragleiten_schwerne-unfaelle-und-ahlagensligen, many accidents are due to human failure. Experts emphasize that self -overestimation, inadequate training and lack of weather knowledge are central factors. Despite stable weather conditions, sudden wind can often have devastating consequences.

The security situation is tense, especially since there were several fatal accidents in Tyrol and Carinthia recently. While the total number of injuries has dropped since 2017, the number of fatal accidents has increased, which is attributed to changed weather conditions and an increase in paraglider pilots. Experts warn that the increase in licenses by 30 percent in the previous year and the growth of 1,300 new pilots also have new challenges.

The Austrian paraglider hotspots attract both indigenous and foreign pilots. Around 110,000 active paragliders are registered in Europe, and the number of rescue campaigns due to unsuccessful landings is increasing. The mountain rescue reports increasingly about claims for damages of rescued, especially if their umbrellas are damaged during the rescue.