A paraglider seriously injured both his legs after crashing 200 feet below the Poo Poo Point takeoff on Tiger Mountain in Issaquah around 5 p.m. Thursday. The crash occurred shortly after the paraglider took off.

Eastside Fire and Rescue were able to reach the crash victim shortly after 6 p.m. and transported him to Harborview Medical Center with possible bilateral leg fractures and a chest injury.

King County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue unit assisted Eastside Fire and Rescue.

There are usually a dozen paragliding accidents every year, Eastside Fire and Rescue Deputy Chief Bud Backer said, most of which involve a glider becoming  stuck in a tree.

If flyers get stuck in a tree, they should radio or use a cell phone to call for help, Seattle Paragliding co-owner Marc Chirico said. Seattle Paragliding operates a paragliding school at the base of Tiger Mountain.

“We really insist that the flyer stay in their harness because that’s really secure,” Chirico said. “Ninety-nine percent of the time the person is fine and the glider is fine.”

After calling for help, if the flyer is part of a Seattle Paragliding session, Chirico said they would likely send a tree climber for help. Otherwise, emergency responders would locate the stuck flyer.

The male injured Thursday was not part of a Seattle Paragliding group.

The best way to avoid accidents is to take lessons, Chirico said.

Eastside Fire and Rescue charges about $700 to transport an injured person to a hospital. Usually insurance will pick up the bulk of that tab.