Lake Pueblo paragliding crash: man recounts rescue

PUEBLO, Colo. (KKTV) - A rescue at the right time.

This weekend, there were two different paraglider crashes with two different outcomes.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife officers say one man died, the other survived.

On Sunday, 11 News spoke to the survivor and a witness who helped pull him from the water.

The water can be dangerous for anyone. Motorized paragliders Aaron McDaniel and Roman Uskovits have been flying the skies of Pueblo for years. Usekovits says he was doing some acrobatics Saturday morning, but in a moment, the fun day changed.

“And I kind of messed it up and I hit the water pretty hard and I ended up in the water,” he said.

Uskovits says it was scary, but his water rescue system deployed. Still, he was stranded in the middle of the cove. That’s when he saw Fabyan Mandanares coming toward him.

“I’m sitting there screaming the whole time ‘we’re coming man, we’re coming, like don’t give up on us, don’t give up on us, like we’re coming,’” Mandanares said. “The whole time I’m just like swimming, swimming trying to catch up to him. It was scary, you know? My heart is racing.”

They were able to get him to shore.

“They did a great job, yeah, I could have drowned too but they helped a lot,”Usekovits said.

Usekovits credits his water rescue system for saving him, and is thankful some strangers were there to help when he needed it most.

“I’m very fortunate I’m here.”

Mandanares says it feels good knowing he survived.

“Knowing that he is OK is a pretty good feeling.”

CPW says this incident shows the importance of being extremely careful around the water. They say it is a good reminder to wear a life jacket--no matter what you are doing.

Wildlife officers believe the second paraglider got tangled in his equipment and drowned.

An official autopsy is scheduled.

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