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RCMP probe if teen was intentionally hit with ski pole by mystery skier on B.C. mountain

The incident happened on March 20 on Grouse Mountain. Police are urging witnesses to come forward
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Photo of teen involved in Grouse Mountain incident on March 20, 2019. (North Vancouver RCMP handout)

North Vancouver RCMP are asking for the public’s help in identifying an adult male skier involved in an incident on Grouse Mountain in March, as investigators work to determine whether a teen’s injuries from a ski pole were intentional.

READ MORE: Skier sought after young person badly hurt on Grouse Mountain

Mounties released more information into the mysterious incident in an update Wednesday, including details on how a 13-year-old boy ended up at BC Children’s Hospital on the evening of March 30.

Police said that the boy was with a friend along the bottom third of a run called The Cut, near the Screaming Eagle Chairlift, just before 7 p.m.

As the youth swerved to avoid another skier on the run, a man struck the youth with his ski pole and hit his temporal bone, puncturing his skull roughly three-centimetres deep.

“The youth did not fall down and he was unaware of his injury until the bottom of the run, where an unidentified woman noticed and offered help,” police said.

The boy was picked up by his parents and received stitches for the small laceration. However, his symptoms continued to worsen and he was later taken to BC Children’s Hospital.

Police are now looking to determine if the unknown man’s actions were intentional or accidental.

“We have exhausted all available investigational avenues, and in order to move forward with the investigation, we need more information from witnesses,” police said.

“We want to speak with the kind woman who helped the young man. We want to speak with anyone who saw what happened.”

The man involved was described only as wearing a yellow ski jacket. Police have also released a photo of the teen, who was wearing tan-coloured ski pants, a white Adidas hoodie with a black logo on the front, and green and black ski boots.

Anyone with information is asked to contact North Vancouver RCMP.


@ashwadhwani
ashley.wadhwani@bpdigital.ca

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About the Author: Ashley Wadhwani-Smith

I began my journalistic journey at Black Press Media as a community reporter in my hometown of Maple Ridge, B.C.
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