A man was seriously injured in a paragliding accident at Fort Ebey State Park Sunday morning, according to Chief Mark Kirko with North Whidbey Fire and Rescue.

Kirko said first responders were called to the park at about 10 a.m. Firefighters and emergency medical services from North Whidbey Fire responded along with emergency medical personnel from WhidbeyHealth Medical Center and an ambulance from Central Whidbey Island Fire and Rescue.

Responders were able to establish a landing zone in an open field in the park for a helicopter from Airlift Northwest to land and transport him to a hospital for treatment.

“That was a good time saver for the patient,” Kirko said.

From what he was told, Kirko said, the paraglider plummeted about 30 to 35 feet just seconds after lifting off.

Kirko said there haven’t been any other paragliding accidents in the three years he’s been with the department.

In 2014, a paraglider was blown into trees at Fort Ebey State Park. Firefighters used a 35-foot ladder to retrieve the dangling man, who wasn’t injured.

Various websites describe the bluff-side park as a popular spot for paragliding and hang gliding.

The Northwest Paragliding Club’s website says the park “offers ridge soaring site along tall sweeping ocean bluffs.”