Paraglider dies after hitting 11,000-volt power cables in horror accident near his Cotswolds home
- A paraglider has died after hitting high voltage power cables during a solo flight
- Wayne Seeley, from Eastington, Gloucs, was named as the man who lost his life
- A number of fires broke out as the cables came down while power was affected in about 500 homes as a result the accident
- Loved ones flocked to social media to pay tribute to Seeley on Tuesday
A paraglider has died after he collided with 11,000-volt power cables before crashing to his death in a field near his Cotswolds home yesterday.
Tributes have poured in for Wayne Seeley, after he was named today as the man who lost his life in the tragic accident.
Seeley, who was in his 40s and from Eastington, near Stroud, Gloucestershire, was known as a paragliding photographer and fanatic, who had posted many of his stunning aerial pictures on social media.
Many of his friends took to social media to pay tribute to Seeley by changing their profile pictures to show one of the photos he took while flying over the same area the day before the tragedy.
Paragliding fanatic Wayne Seeley (pictured) lost his life on Monday after colliding with high voltage power cables in a field near his Cotswolds home
Seeley’s (left) partner, Leanna Bishop (right), paid tribute to him on social media on Tuesday
His partner Leanna Bishop posted a picture of them together with the message: ‘My Love, my soul mate and my best friend! No words.’
One friend said: ‘He was an amazing friend with a heart of gold. Would do anything for anyone. Also a very talented pilot and photographer as you can see by his photos (on Facebook).
‘He was loved by many and will be sadly missed.’
After the accident, a spokesman for Gloucestershire Police said: ‘Around 1.20pm on Monday emergency services were called to a report of a paraglider hitting power lines in Eastington, Stonehouse.
‘The local man, aged in his 40s, was paragliding solo when he hit power lines over a nearby field.
‘Sadly the man was pronounced dead at the scene and his next of kin has been informed.’
All three emergency services were called to the scene after the crash on Monday evening because broken power lines sparked fires in the area.
More than 500 local properties were without electricity for several hours as Western Power engineers worked to repair the damage.
Seeley, from Eastington, near Stroud, Gloucestershire, posted stunning aerial pictures online
A Gloucestershire Fire & Rescue Service spokesman said: ‘We worked with the power company to make sure the area was safe for the crews and everyone in the area. There were a number of fires on arrival due to the power cable coming down so the crews had to deal with those.’
A friend of Mr Seeley’s, Al Wilson from Oxfordshire, posted today: ‘Such terrible news. He was the nicest and funniest guy, incredibly kind and generous, a huge character and unbelievably skilled pilot – one of the greats. Flying is so beautiful and so cruel.’
Carrie Louise Crowe said: ‘You will be so missed Wayne Seeley, one of the loveliest blokes ever, kind funny and genuine with a smile that lit up a room!’
Will Barstow wrote: ‘What horrible news to wake up to. Such a talented human. The loss to the flying Community is vast. Sending huge love to his friends as family. Rest in peace buddy.’