The Irishman who lay in a coma in a Peruvian hospital for 18 days has regained consciousness and his family are preparing to fly out to be at his bedside.
The identity of Mr Paschal McDaid (27), from Brooklawn, Knocknacarra, Galway, remained a mystery until the weekend as he was carrying no documentation when he was found before Christmas by rescuers in a mountainous area near Lima.
However, his father, Paschal snr, contacted the Department of Foreign Affairs over the weekend following media reports about efforts to identify his son. The McDaids were already concerned for his safety when he failed to contact them over Christmas.
Mr McDaid sustained his injuries while paragliding on December 22nd. He was accompanied by an instructor when the accident occurred. Mr McDaid had informed the company he hired the paraglider from that he was Irish. The only other clue to his identity was when he opened his eyes and confirmed he was Irish at one stage, before lapsing back into the coma.
The honorary Irish Consul in Peru, Mr Michael Russell, has been in daily contact with the hospital since then and has provided medicines which were otherwise unavailable as well as working with the Department of Foreign Affairs to identify Mr McDaid.
The McDaid family confirmed over the weekend that the injured man was their son, based on tattoos he had on his arms. This was subsequently reconfirmed using photographs e-mailed back by Mr Russell.
"It is definitely Paschal," the injured man's mother, Cecilia, said. She is due to fly out to Lima today, accompanied by her brother.
Mr McDaid snr said his son had suffered injuries to his head, ribs and lungs. "He is conscious and he has an understanding of what is being said to him, but he cannot speak," he said.
Mr McDaid jnr had been touring the region when the accident occurred.