In addition to beach, sand, sun and sweat, Goran Nikolic (43) from Düdingen FR also has frustration, headaches, blood and a broken nose during the holidays.
The family man relaxed comfortably on the beach of the Greek holiday island of Lefkada in the Ionian Sea last Thursday. The Freiburg Serb enjoys the evening with his two children and his wife. Nikolic sits, the rest of the family lies down. Then it happens.
He noticed a shadow from the left side, says the logistician Blick. «I turned. And then it went boom.” A violent collision with a paragliding tandem. “I got a hard hit in the forehead and nose.”
The blood flows
Nikolic does not know what exactly he collided with. “I can’t say whether it was the tourist in the front of the paraglider, the instructor in the back or some part of the flying object – because it all happened so quickly.”
The blood then flows quickly. Nikolic is unconscious for a few seconds. Then panic breaks out: “My wife had to scream and cry.” The wife was also hit, according to the Serb. “But only lightly on the cheek.”
Trouble will hit Nikolic himself. He has a headache. And bleeds profusely. Nevertheless, only one thing counted for him: “It was luck in misfortune.” He explains: «Luckily I was hit, otherwise my children would have been hit. You could have been injured or even dead.” And: He turns to the public to warn other Lefkada tourists of the danger.
Lifeguards provide first aid
It was also lucky that help came quickly: “Two lifeguards came to me immediately, stopped the bleeding and cooled me with ice. I am very grateful to them.”
Despite first aid, Nikolic is beside himself. «If the instructor on the paraglider noticed that he was losing control, he could have called out to us or given a signal. He should have reacted better.”
And shortly thereafter follows the next annoyance. “I wanted to explain everything to the police immediately. But they said I had to go to the hospital first.” Once there, the fears come true: broken nose. “They stuffed my nose with tampons to stop the bleeding. There was also an anesthetic to fix the nose.”
Thanks to the Swiss Embassy
Even if the nose was directed, the frustration was still there: “I was still waiting for the police report. Only when my wife contacted the Swiss embassy did things go quickly. The police then sent me the report of the accident.” Nikolic thanks the Embassy for their quick action.
Despite this joy, the shock of the incident was still great, said Nikolic. “The holidays are in the bucket.”
So far, the said paragliding company has not commented on Blick’s request.