A WOMAN paraglider is lucky to be alive after she crashed into the cliffs near Lulworth Cove and plunged 100 ft into the sea.

Kaye Escott, 42, used the glider's wing to stay afloat until she was plucked from the water by the crew of a passing dive boat.

Diana Whelan, 27, is camping in the area and was out walking with friends when she witnessed the accident.

She said: "There were a number of paragliders around and we had been watching them. This lady just came in and she was coming quite close to the cliff.

"I wasn't sure if she was planning to do that but it became apparent that it wasn't intentional. She let out a couple of yelps and then we just saw her go out and straight into the cliff below us.

"She landed in the water and there were a number of divers in the area who came up and brought her on to the beach."

The mother-of-two was brought to the beach below Bats Head and given first aid by a doctor who was on holiday there.

Portland Coastguard rescue helicopter landed on the beach and, after treatment by paramedics, the woman was flown to Dorset County Hospital, Dorchester.

She underwent emergency treatment for injuries including a broken arm, dislocated shoulder and shattered pelvis and is now recovering in hospital.

Nurse Kaye and her husband Paul are active members of the Wessex Hang Gliding and Paragliding Club, which is based in Cavendish Road, Bournemouth.

Paul, of Portsmouth, said: "She was very, very lucky to get out of this alive.

"The sinking paraglider was dragging her down but she used the wing as a kind of float - bailing water out until the boat rescued her."

The drama unfolded at around 2.30pm on Saturday when coastguards received several 999 calls from people who had witnessed the incident.

A Coastguard spokesman said it appeared Kaye had dropped below the clifftop and lost control, possibly caught by a windshear, before crashing into the sea.

It's not the first time Kaye has had a near miss while paragliding. In 2004, she landed upside down in a tree in Monk's Down, Wiltshire after getting caught by a 30mph gust of wind. Two fellow club members had to climb the tree to untangle her.

First published: August 30