Updated: 4:29 pm | Published: 3:13 pm
PARK CITY, Utah (ABC 4 News) - A couple of tourists who were hurt in a hot air balloon accident were recovering from their injuries after an accident that happened Tuesday morning in Summit County just off of Highway 40 and Exit 4.
Summit County deputies say the balloon performed a controlled landing in an open gravel and dirt area around 9:00 a.m. Tuesday on the West side of the highway. As the pilot got out of the basket a gust of wind lifted the balloon and the basket with the tourists still inside.
The balloon belonged to Morninstar Balloons, a company that offers rides to paying customers.
An employee of Park City Balloon Adventures who was nearby the incident and offered assistance during the incident said that there may have been a language barrier between the pilot and the passengers, who are from Brazil.
He told ABC 4 News the tourists may not have understood the pilot's commands and instead they jumped out of the basket. One jumped at about five feet in the air, the other about ten feet above the ground.
Sgt. Ron Bridge with the Summit County Sheriffs Office says the Brazilian tourists landed in the worst possible spot - a pile of rocks and broken cement.
Meanwhile, Bridge said the balloon and basket kept on going east. It floated off on a low and short flight and came to rest on the other side of the highway about 250 yards away.
The names of the victims were not immediately released. Bridge says the man suffered a broken leg and the woman suffered a back injury, but added that the injuries were not life threatening.
Sgt. Bridge says the balloon company involved does not have a record of problems.
The FAA is was at the scene investigating the incident. While the investigator did not have a time frame, he did say it shouldn't take very long.
The owner of Morningstar Balloons told ABC 4 News that the tourists may have contributed to the crash by exiting the basket when they were told not to.
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