Sitka lawmaker breaks leg in paragliding accident on flight from Flattop Mountain in Anchorage

JUNEAU — Sitka Democratic Rep. Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins broke two bones in his right leg after crashing a paraglider while landing Saturday in Anchorage.

Kreiss-Tomkins underwent surgery in Anchorage and has been recuperating there, attending committee meetings by teleconference. In a brief interview, he said he intends to return to Juneau late Wednesday.

Rep. Laddie Shaw, R-Anchorage, was flying with Kreiss-Tomkins from Flattop Mountain when the crash happened and confirmed the details.

“We just got together and went for a little hike on Flattop Mountain,” said Shaw, a former Navy SEAL who regularly climbs the mountain and goes paragliding from the top.

Kreiss-Tomkins became a certified paraglider pilot in California this winter, and it was his first flight from Flattop.

Shaw was on a separate paraglider and said his fellow legislator got into “a bad spot” when it came time to land, leaving him with few safe options.

“I hadn’t flown Flattop before. And so I just took a more roundabout flight plan and was not where I wanted to be for the landing,” the Sitka legislator said.

Kreiss-Tomkins struck some trees in an open field of snow near the Glen Alps trailhead, breaking his tibia and fibula, the two bones in the lower leg. He underwent surgery and will be on crutches for at least six weeks, he said.

Asked whether he’ll go paragliding again, he said, “We’ll see. For now, I just like want to focus on recuperation. If I do it again, I’ll get back to basics and just drill the fundamentals. It can and should be done safely, and so I don’t want to overreact. But I just need to figure out my mobility situation and take it one day at a time.”