‘Bachelorette’ contestant killed in paragliding accident

(CNN) — Eric Hill, who was a contestant in the upcoming season of “The Bachelorette,” died this week from injuries suffered in a paragliding accident.

Hill, 31, was an adventurer with a goal of setting a world record by visiting every country on Earth in 1,200 days, but he interrupted his journey this spring to participate in the ABC reality competition.

He was gliding off a steep hill in Draper, Utah, Sunday when his parachute partially collapsed and “swung him into the hillside like a pendulum,” Salt Lake County Unified Fire spokesman Brian Anderton told CNN.

Although he was not far above the ground when he fell and he was wearing a helmet, Hill “hit with quite a bit of velocity,” causing severe injuries, Anderton said.

Hill was flown to University of Utah Medical Center, where he later died, according to Anderton and Facebook postings by Hill’s sister Karen Tracy.

“Bachelorette” producers sent a statement to CNN saying they are “deeply saddened to hear about the tragic passing of our friend, Eric Hill.”

“Eric inspired us every day with his passion, his courage and his adventurous spirit, and for that we are very thankful,” the show’s statement said. “On behalf of our cast, crew and producers, we send our love, our thoughts and our prayers to Eric’s family during this difficult time.”

The 10th season of the show premieres on May 19.

Hill’s Facebook page and website proclaimed that he would visit “every country in world record time” while “sharing the awesome that exists in every country, especially with the people!”

His “Global Odyssey” page said: “But this is not your ordinary travel blog, for you see, YOU will decide what he does (and what he eats) in virtually every country. From skydiving over Australia, to eating scorpions on the Great Wall of China, we’ll be posting items for you to vote on … and he promises to do as you command!”

“Eric took very calculated risks, he was never reckless,” a note posted on his Facebook page said.