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VIDEO: Paraglider plummets 500 feet into water off Florida coast

Man only suffers minor injuries in crash off Riviera Beach

RIVIERA BEACH, Fla. – A paraglider plummeted 500 feet from the sky into the Atlantic Ocean off the Florida coast — and survived.

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Cellphone video captured the plunge and the rescue, which took place Friday off Ocean Reef Park in Riviera Beach.

Officials said a motorized paraglider fell into the water and witnesses on the beach jumped into action.

Witnesses said the 52-year-old Florida man was alive and above the water when they reached him.

“When I heard the (distance from which he fell), I was actually quite blown away,” lifeguard Sarah Williamson said. “Five-hundred feet is an incredible thing to survive.”

The man was taken to the shore after suffering minor injuries, officials said.


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