A man was struck by a tree and killed while grooming trails in the Nancy Green cross country ski area last Friday.
The Trail and Greater District RCMP detachment issued a press release on Tuesday explaining that they are aiding the BC Coroner Service and Worksafe BC with a investigation into the death of the man who RCMP said was 72 and from Castlegar. RCMP have yet to publicly identify him.
RCMP report that a skier was out using the trails when he came across the accident scene. A SPOT device — a satellite-connected device that can be used to send emergency services your GPS location — was set off after the body was found, and an emergency response coordination centre contacted local RCMP, who asked that search and rescue also be called in.
Rossland and District Search and Rescue (RSAR) and the two other members of the West Kootenay Working Group, Castlegar Search and Rescue and Grand Forks Search and Rescue, responded to assist the RCMP with the body recovery. RSAR was called to a spot three kilometers west of the Nancy Greene junction, and had to travel approximately another three km through the bush from there. Six snowmobiles and 16 responders were on the scene.
The fire department and BC Ambulance also responded.
“[We] met with the RCMP and sent members in. The fire department was there and they did highway control, as far as the flagging and that sort of thing,” explained Dave Braithwaite, search manager for RSAR.
Search and rescue teams also helped with some highway control, and when the body was brought out to the road, it was delivered to BC Ambulance.