A 35-year-old Mexican soldier is recovering after sailing high into the air while holding onto a large flag and then crashing into the ground.

Soldiers in Durango, Mexico were working to raise an enormous flag during a ceremony, when a gust of wind suddenly took one of them on a terrifying ride.

High winds complicated the process of raising the flag on its 400-foot pole. At one point, a particularly strong gust took hold.

Most of the soldiers were able to let go, but one of them clung on.

Azteca Noticias identified that man as Maximiliano Olmedo Ramírez and estimated he was yanked roughly 14 meters -- or about 45 feet -- into the air.

In the video he can be seen flailing his legs as the corner of the flag nears the ground.

Luckily, the flag acted kind of like a parachute and slowed his fall. But the footage does show him hitting the ground forcefully where he crumples.

Other soldiers immediately run to him. He reportedly suffered a fractured leg, according to Azteca Noticias.

According to Noticieros Televisa, the flagpole is 125 meters tall and the flag is the largest in Latin America. The construction of the flagpole was completed in February of this year.

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