WALNUT CREEK -- A 53-year-old man who died after crashing his paraglider in the Lime Ridge Open Space on Sunday was identified by authorities as Walnut Creek resident Edward Simone.
Simone had been flying around for a couple of minutes just behind Boundary Oak Golf Course at 3800 Valley Vista Road when a shift in the wind or some other factor caused part of his chute to collapse and he went into a spin, Walnut Creek police Lt. Lanny Edwards said. He fell an unknown distance to the ground, hit an area of steep terrain and tumbled down the hill.
Several friends were with Simone at the time, Edwards said, and one stayed with him while the others ran to get help. Emergency responders were there within minutes, and Simone was taken to John Muir Medical Center, where he later died of his injuries.
According to Edwards, it is unclear whether Simone died from the injuries he sustained when he hit the ground, or whether it was the roll down the hill that fatally injured him. The crash remains under investigation.
Contact Erin Ivie at eivie@bayareanewsgroup.com. Follow her at Twitter.com/erin_ivie.