Bachelorette Contestant Dies After Paragliding Accident

Eric Hill, a contestant on the upcoming season of The Bachelorette, died on Wednesday following a paragliding accident on Sunday.
"Eric shared his final journey with us this morning as all his immediate family were able to be at his side when he passed away," Hill's sister Karen Tracy posted on Facebook. "Thank you to all of your love and support and prayers and fasting. It was amazing to be with so many of his friends and family yesterday in the hospital who came to express their love for Eric. He gave us such a gift of a life fully lived and fully shared, and allowed us all to be a part of his last adventure here on earth. It is hard to think of life without his bright spark, but we know he is on to new adventures. We look forward to carrying on his legacy here and greeting him joyfully again someday. I love you so much, little brother!"

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Hill was injured when his parachute collapsed, sending him crashing into a hillside in Utah, United Fire Authority Battalion Chief Brian Anderton told Us Weekly. "Due to the slope of the hill, we had a difficult time getting the patient down, so we called in a technical rescue team and some technical medical specialists," Anderton said. Hill was then transported to a local hospital in critical condition where he was placed in a medically induced coma.

Though ABC hasn't announced the contestants vying for Bachelor alum Andi Dorfman's heart, host Chris Harrison confirmed he was one of the suitors on Wednesday's episode of The View. "We loved having him around... our thoughts and prayers are with him," Harrison said.

The producers of The Bachelorette released a statement Wednesday afternoon. "We are deeply saddened to hear about the tragic passing of our friend, Eric Hill," it read. "Eric inspired us every day with his passion, his courage and his adventurous spirit, and for that we are very thankful. 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."
According to Reality Steve, Hill's accident did not happen while filming the show and that he had already been eliminated.