Paraglider died in mountain tragedy
Inquest told how ‘current of air’ swept 46-year-old man to his death
AMAN learning to paraglide was killed after a gust of wind blew him into a Spanish mountain.
Stockport-born Darren Kevin Watson died while on a week-long paragliding course in Sierra Del Buey, Jumilla in the Murcia region on October 10 last year.
An inquest into his death at Ruthin County Hall heard how the 46-year-old of Westbourne Terrace, Corwen was seen to be blown against a mountain by a “current of air” as he was about to land.
Emergency services arrived and resuscitation attempts were made but Mr Watson was pronounced dead at the scene.
A postmortem was carried out with a cause of death given as multiple trauma.
Coroner for North Wales east and central, John Gittins dealt with the evidence by reading documents from the Spanish authorities.
A report said witnesses had seen how a “current of air moved him against the mountain at the time he was going to land.”
In a statement read out at the hearing, Darren’s husband Mark Ashton described the self employed tax consultant as “enjoying life and the future” before the “tragic accident.”
He said: “Darren and I were very happy together...he was fit and healthy and keen on outdoor pursuits.
“In 2019, he wanted to take up paragliding and made enquiries to start a beginner’s course.”
Mr Ashton had been in Corwen at the time but the couple owned a property in Alicante.
Recording a conclusion of accidental death, the coroner said that despite the efforts of Darren’s colleagues and the medical teams, “his injuries were unsurvivable.”
He sent his condolences to the family.
Speaking to North Wales Live last year, Mr Ashton said his partner “lived life to the max” and had “so much energy, it was hard for friends and family to keep up”.
He shared a poignant last video of his partner of 26 years who had passed his course exams and was coming up for his fourth and final run in good conditions before a “freak gust of wind” blew him into a mountain.
A video, shot from the Club Pilot paragliding course and showing Darren “doing the sport he loved” has since been uploaded to YouTube in his memory.
Paying tribute to Darren, who was known as Daz, Mark said: “Darren was born in Stockport and as a teenager, he went to Greece to work in a bar before going on to work in a casino in South Africa.
“He was a seasoned traveller to many different countries, his zest for life was enormous.
“He moved to Corwen from Cheshire five years ago to enjoy the Berwyn Mountains and surrounding areas and led walks for the Corwen Walking Festival.
“He would often walk 15 miles across the mountains with his beloved German Shepherd, Luna.
“He was also a volunteer fireman for Corwen fire station, which he enjoyed as it helped the community.”
Rachel Acton, a friend of the couple said: “Darren contributed so much to the community and got involved in everything, he was so quirky and full of energy. He absolutely loved a challenge and everything he did, he gave it 110%. Paragliding had been on his bucket list ever since he’d seen people doing it in Llangollen.
“He always had so much going on, I never once saw him sad, he was always very positive and happy, he just lit up a room.”