Kite boarder seriously hurt after plunging head-first onto heath

A kite skateboarder is fighting for his life after being swept 20 feet in the air before crashing head-first into the ground in high winds.

The 26-year-old was airlifted to Royal London Hospital with serious chest and head injuries after the accident on Blackheath just after 4.30pm on Saturday.

Kiteboarding is an extreme sport in which skaters harness themselves to inflated kites and use the wind to propel themselves on modified skateboards. In strong winds skaters can reach speeds of up to 50mph and heights of up to 20 feet.

Witnesses today told how the man crash-landed on the heath before being dragged along the ground still harnessed to the kite as the wind continued to pull.

On extreme sports forum racekites.com, Wesley Whelanwrote: "His eyes were open but he starting to turn blue, having a fit. The paramedic said it was brain trauma."

On Saturday afternoon the winds averaged 20mph with gusts of up to 30mph. Instructor Ben Jackson, 38, of the Professional Kiteboarding Association, said: "Even a very experienced kiteboarder would have struggled in those conditions."