Witness saw paraglider ‘spinning out of control’ before landing like ‘meteorite’

Katie Cole has been in Turkey where County Durham girl Lily Nichol was struck by a paraglider by an ‘out of control’ pilot
An eyewitness has described the moment he saw a paraglider “spinning out of control” before crashing into a British girl as she ate in a restaurant in Turkey.
Eisse Velvthuys told ITV News he watched in horror as the man made contact with 15-year-old Lily Nichol who was having a meal with her mum and sister on the last day of their holiday.
The freak accident left Lily, from Chester-le-Street, with a broken back and jaw and in need of multiple surgeries which could mean she is unable to leave the country for weeks.
Recalling the accident, former glider Eisse, originally from the Netherlands, said: “There was just one sudden jump down from one pilot. He must have been in stall or something, but he must have got down as a meteorite so he went down very fast.
“I was really in shock and it was a sad situation to see that and I really hope she is okay, and I really hope she will fully recover.”
The incident, understood to have involved a Russian solo glider, happened in Oludeniz. The paragliding hotspot attracts 200,000 people to the area each year to take part in the activity.
Sami Finvakali, who runs a paragliding business, told ITV News there was no precedent for such a crash and he believed it was down to pilot error.
“We [have] never heard of such a tragic accident in Oludeniz,” said Sami, who owns Babadag Parasut. “I have been flying over 24 years here. One hundred per cent [it was the] solo pilot’s mistake.
“Very unfortunate – we are very sorry and feel for the little girl. We wish that it never happened.”
There are rules people have to follow – including registering their details online.
Within the controlled take-off area, 2,000 metres above the beach resort, pilots have to upload their licence and confirm they are insured.
But for solo gliders, insurance documents are not needed to be seen and ITV News has been told the pilot who struck Lily did not have insurance.
ITV News was told today that the governor there has insisted from now on that solo pilots will have to show them they have insurance.
It is understood that the Russian glider has since left the country.
Police are investigating and ITV News understands officers have got CCTV from the area of the collision.
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