A kitesurfer in New Zealand was caught by a gust of wind and hurled about 50 metres over some trees before crashing on the roof of his own house.
The incident, at Golden Bay at the northern tip of the South Island, has left the 43-year-old man in Nelson Hospital's intensive care unit with leg, chest and shoulder injuries.
He was in a stable condition today but his injuries were considered serious.
Senior constable Crispin Lee of the Takaka police said a gust of wind blew the kitesurfer about 50 metres from the beach while he and the kite were about four metres up in the air.
He went over the top of some trees, crashed into the roof of his own house and slipped down on to a fence where he came to rest, Mr Lee said.
Trudy Charlett, who lives in Pohara, said she was walking on the beach when there was "a real good swirl of wind".
It picked up the kitesurfer, who is her neighbour, and flung him through the air toward his property.
"It gave me a shock. One minute he was waving to me from the edge of the tide, the next thing I saw him flying through the air," she said.
"He was quite high above the ground. I thought 'where is he going to end up?'."
Ms Charlett said the kite ended up in a neighbour's tree but the board was still attached to the kitesurfer when he was found.
The incident had left her shocked.
"As soon as I closed my eyes last night (in bed) I saw him again flying through the air," she said.
The man was flown to hospital by the Nelson-Marlborough Rescue Helicopter which had to fly at a lower altitude than usual to prevent aggravating his punctured lung.
Helicopter pilot Quentin Hulse said the patient "wasn't terribly happy" about the situation.
NZPA
weer zo'n ouwe knar ! trouwens! :( 43 jaar
Al die ongelukmakers komme in midlifecrisis ofzo??:?:?
-DAVE- had een 5 sterren sessie in Wijk aan Zee met maar liefst 16 - 23 knots op zijn SlingShot Fuel (2006)
ooit word jij ook nog eens zo oud, dave,hoop ik voor je!!
En eens zien wat je dan nog allemaal uitspookt
>:)
Mario had een 3 sterren sessie in Cadzand-Bad met maar liefst 18 - 24 knots op zijn SlingShot RPM (2010)
Tegen dat tijdstip ben ik grootmeester in de kitekunde
En hoef ik mij niet meer te bewijzen, dus ga ik ook geen domme dingen meer doen!
of alleen nog maar filmen, of me kinderen tot kitebeesten omtoveren etc.
the future is not set...
-DAVE- had een 5 sterren sessie in Wijk aan Zee met maar liefst 16 - 23 knots op zijn SlingShot Fuel (2006)
svennie had een 2 sterren sessie in Oostvoorne autostrand met maar liefst 20 - 30 knots op zijn North Vegas (2011)
-DAVE- had een 5 sterren sessie in Wijk aan Zee met maar liefst 16 - 23 knots op zijn SlingShot Fuel (2006)
