A skydiver rescued after becoming entangled in high voltage power lines in the Lake Elsinore area on Monday said she was grateful to be alive.
Firefighters responded to Corydon Road and Garden Street in Riverside County and used a ladder truck to reach the paratrooper. The trapped person contacted firefighters during the rescue and refused to receive medical treatment at the scene, authorities said.
The location is just south of the skydiving landing zone. The skydiver told NBCLA that she was trying to avoid another power line as she descended towards the landing zone.
“So I was trying to go around that power line, then I turned right, then I went up the other power line,” he said. “I don’t know if I’ll jump again. Probably not.”
She was part of a group jump from Skydive Elsinore, which operates a private airfield a block north of where the victim was left hanging.
NBCLA has contacted Skydive Elsinore for further details.
Witnesses said they heard the skydiver make contact with power lines.
“We heard a pop,” said witness Eddie Guillen. “We didn’t see anything at first, then we saw her trapped there. Then we saw her moving and we thought, ‘Oh my God, she’s still alive. “”
Utility crew members turned off the power for the rescue operation.
Parts of Southern California, including the valleys of Riverside County, are under a wind advisory on Monday. It was not immediately clear whether the winds played a role in the skydiving accident.