Note: Please see the correction at the end of this story.
An Edmonton skier has died after crashing while doing skiing tricks atop rails in Nelson, B.C. on Saturday.
Will Schooler, 20, died on Monday, Nov. 28, after slipping into a coma following the incident on Nov. 26.
Schooler was from Edmonton and learned how to ski at the Edmonton Ski Club. A memorial was held at the club on Monday, said club member Amber Hutscal.
Schooler died a day before his 21st birthday, she said.
"It's tough to swallow," Hutscal said.
Schooler was riding rails in Nelson when the incident occurred, according to Bob Falle, the chair of the school of hospitality and tourism at Selkirk College. He did not seek immediate medical attention but was rushed to Kootenay Lake Hospital Sunday morning when friends found him unconscious.
He was flown to Kelowna General Hospital but never recovered from his coma and passed away there on Monday.
He died as a result of a closed-head injury, said Barb McLintock of the B.C. Coroners Service.
The coroners service is investigating the incident.
A Facebook memorial page is located here: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Will-Schooler--112811/286142158096654.
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A major error occurred in our story about the death of Will Schooler. He did not die as a result of an incident at Revelstoke Mountain Resort, as was originally reported. In fact, the incident occurred in Nelson, B.C.
How did this mistake happen? The initial information we received indicated Schooler died in after a skiing incident in Revelstoke. The person we contacted to confirm the information did not have the details but we still used their information as confirmation. We contacted numerous local authorities (RCMP, BC Coroners Service, IHA, BC Ambulance Service), none of whom had information about the incident. This raised some flags but we ran the story anyway based on the information we had.
The new information was provided to the Times Review after the article was posted online and was confirmed by the B.C. Coroners Service. We sincerely regret the error and any confusion it caused.
The corrected story appears above.