CHATSWORTH – A Pontiac man videotaping hot air balloons at Chatsworth’s Sesquicentennial Celebration feared he was recording a tragedy.

 A sudden wind gust Thursday evening caused a collision between two hot air balloons as one of them was taking off.  

 Recording on his Android phone, retired Pontiac Prison administrator Wayne Germain said he saw a balloon operator dangling from the basket. 

 “He was up about 50, 60 feet at that time, and then the balloon descended, and then he rolled out, and then the balloon went back up,” Germain recalled.  

 “From the view, you can’t see anybody in (the basket), but there were two people still in that balloon.  Neither of them knew how to run a hot air balloon,” Germain also said. 

 The two remaining occupants escaped after the balloon descended again behind some trees. No one was seriously hurt, although the balloon’s operator was transported to an area hospital. 

 The harrowing experience has changed Germain’s view on hot air balloons.  He had hoped to take a ride someday. Now, Germain says he’ll keep his feet on the ground.  

 Germain’s video has been posted on WJBC’s Facebook page.

This story was submitted to us by WJBC’s Howard Packowitz.