County paraglider in USA crash: 'I'm very lucky and I'll soon be back in the air'

The extreme sports instructor had to have a rib removed to fuse his broken vertebrae after coming to grief as he took off from a specialist glider port in San Diego last weekend.

He crashed on to a cliff face and was trapped there for almost an hour while rescuers worked to reach him so they could get him to hospital in a helicopter.

See also: Shropshire paraglider breaks his back in California cliff crash

But despite his injuries, the 46-year-old from Melverley, to the west of Shrewsbury, is desperate to be up and about and flying again.

Speaking from his hospital in San Diego, California, he said: "I am very, very lucky. I am physically and mentally strong and that is what saved me.

"It is amazing to think that I am already back on my feet standing and walking around, although I am in a lot of pain. As soon as I hit the cliff, I knew I had hurt myself very badly. It was my lower back or my pelvis and the sun was burning down on me, making me even more uncomfortable.

Decision

"What saved me from worse injuries was that I processed the accident while it was happening. I knew I was going to hit the ground hard and I tried to do what I could to do that with the least amount of impact. I had to make the decision as to how to land and what bones to break to cause me the least injuries.

"I knew I had to make myself safe on the cliff face. I was conscious the whole time and I think that saved me. Many people die as a result of the shock and panic but I didn't allow those natural instincts to take over.

"Those were the longest 45 minutes of my life although I knew why the rescuers were taking so long to fix a line to the cliff face and then to check it was safe for the helicopter. I was waiting for a shot of adrenaline but I never got one as they were so busy with everything else."

Mr Dann, who has flown in countless countries in the world and holds the record for the longest paragliding flight across Britain, runs Shropshire paragliding school Beyond Extreme and the Big Bear Lodge bed and breakfast at Melverley.

He and his wife Rachel and their children, Olivia, 26, George, 23 and Antonio, 10, love paragliding and Mr Dann has been enjoying the sport for 25 years. He has also taught many hundreds of people to take part and until Sunday he had never had an accident or an injury.

But that changed when he took off when there was no wind – something he tells his beginners never to do. The result was that instead of being lifted above the stunning San Diego coastal cliffs overlooking the ocean, he crashed to the foot of them.

Among the rescuers who had to descend the cliffs to his aid were his friends, who were on a paragliding holiday and raised the alarm, and some lifeguards.

Mrs Dann said her husband's body was not the only part of him to be injured.

"He is going to be perfectly fine but his pride has taken a bit of a knock," she said.

"He admits he took off with no wind. It's a mistake that a beginner might make and something Mark always impresses upon people not to do. He has never so much as broken a nail before this."

His instructing skills have won Mr Dann the Royal Aero Award, which was presented by Prince Andrew. As well as instructing in the UK, the USA, South Africa and across Europe he is a skilled climber and snowboarder, and organises canoe expeditions.

He also holds the record for the longest flight in the UK, remaining in a paraglider for more than six hours after taking off from the Long Mynd.

Thrill

Mrs Dann said: "There is something about people like Mark. They just love the thrill of extreme sports. This certainly hasn't put him off. He has already told me that he hopes to be back in the air in four months."

Seven years ago Mr Dann's bid to climb the highest mountain in South America and fly off the top was dashed after baggage handlers lost his equipment. He was part of a seven-man team that had set out to become the first Britons to climb and fly down the 6,960m Cerro Aconcagua in the Andes in Argentina. He had teamed up with Simon Yates from the Bafta award-winning film Touching the Void and had been planning the expedition for two years.

But, when the team landed in South America he was devastated to discover all his specialist kit, including an ultra lightweight paraglider, did not come through baggage handling.

However, despite having to beg and borrow only basic climbing gear and cold weather clothing he still managed to climb to just a few hundred metres of the summit.

And following his terrifying accident, Mr Dann is back to his true gritty form.

"This hasn't put me off paragliding at all," he said. "It may take a bit of time and it probably won't be until after Christmas but accidents can happen at any time even for the most prepared person. If you worry about having an accident you would never do anything.

"You have to live life. I was lucky."