A NORTH Sea worker is still fighting for his life after being critically injured in a paragliding accident.
Martin Yarrow, 58, suffered life-threatening injuries when trying to get in the air above Glenshee on Sunday.
A witness said Mr Yarrow was twice slammed against a mountainside after one of his lines snagged on take off.
He is being treated in Ninewells Hospital in Dundee, where his condition was described as critical but stable.
Mr Yarrow, of Portlethen, Aberdeenshire, is a member of Aberdeen Hang Gliding and Para Gliding Club.
He is employed by Aberdeen-based Sub Sea 7 as an oil services operations manager.
The club's chief coach Bob Dunthorn said: "Martin Yarrow had a paragliding accident at the Cairnwell site.
"As a consequence of the accident, he was airlifted from the mountain.
"I understand he may have been badly physically injured but we're hopeful of his recovery. All of our thoughts are with him and with the family."
Mr Yarrow was airlifted to hospital following the accident near the Glenshee Ski Centre, south of Braemar.
He was understood to have crashed on to the slopes around 1pm.
A fellow paraglider, who did not want be named, said Mr Yarrow tried to take off in strong winds.
He said: "One of his lines got snagged on a stone, so the wind didn't pick him up cleanly. It was coming at an angle and spun him around, and he was slammed against the rocks.
"He was unconscious in his harness and got thrown down again from about 15ft."
Mr Yarrow was flown to hospital by an RAF helicopter from HMS Gannett in Prestwick, Ayrshire.
He had been among more than a dozen paragliders who had used the chair lift to access the 3061ft (933-metre) summit of Cairnwell. The group included fellow members of his club.
A Police Scotland spokesman said: "Police Scotland responded to a report of a 58-year-old male injured in a paragliding accident.
"The man was conveyed by helicopter to hospital with potentially life-threatening injuries.
"Next of kin have been notified."
A spokesman for Sub Sea 7, which works on engineering and construction projects, said: "Our thoughts are with the family at this time."
Paragliders are suspended in a harness from which they control an overhead canopy. They are launched from steep hillsides and cliffs – typically at around 20mph.
The Cairnwell launch point has been a popular spot for the sport since the 1970s.
The site on the Aberdeenshire and Tayside border provides ideal multi-wind direction and thermal current conditions for enthusiasts.
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