Man injured in sky diving accident near Priest Lake

The Priest Lake Search and Rescue team was called out Friday afternoon to find and rescue an injured skydiver. The man was found with a broken leg near Soldier Creek east of Coolin, Idaho. He had landed on a pile of logs from a logging operation, said Search and Rescue president Mike Nielsen. “His chute got tangled in the trees and dumped him right on them,” he said. The man was skydiving with three other people and a search was launched when the man didn’t land with the others. The pilot of the group’s plane took off with additional spotters to find the man, a task complicated by his green parachute and green shirt. He was eventually spotted from the air and rescuers were directed to his remote location. An ambulance was able to use a logging road to get close to the man, Nielsen said. The Coolin Cavanaugh Bay Fire District and three Bonner County Sheriff’s Deputies also assisted. He was taken to a local hospital by helicopter.