Deaths of 2 hikers in Sicamous ruled accidental by coroner

The BC Coroners Service has ruled that the deaths of two men in Sicamous last year were accidental.

Both men were hiking when they fell and died.

The first man, a 27-year-old from Malakwa, died on May 15.

He suffered a head injury after falling about 140 metres down an embankment at Sicamous Creek Park.

It happened after 8 pm.

The man, who was with friends, had left the main trail and climbed up to a cave on a rock face.

The Sicamous Creek Falls trail system is open following the conclusion of a Shuswap Search and Rescue recovery mission. The CSRD expresses its sympathy to the family and friends of the victim. We also appreciate the work of the SAR volunteers. #YourCSRD #CSRD #sicamous #shuswap pic.twitter.com/Ak5jNsMUAh

— CSRD (@ColShuRegDist) May 18, 2019

While taking pictures, the rock gave way and the man fell. The coroner said alcohol contributed to the accident.

One of his friends climbed down to the creek bed after he fell and found the man unresponsive.

The other man, who was 53 and from Sherwood Park in Alberta, died on July 29.

He was hiking near Two Mile Road before noon when he fell about 30 metres and died from multiple wounds.

The coroner explained the man was with a family member.

“They were descending the trail back towards the parking lot but were not walking together and the incident was unwitnessed,” the report explained.

“The family member arrived back at the parking lot and became concerned as [the man] seemed to be taking a long time to return. [The family member] tried calling him and running back up the trail but could not find him. While this was occurring a member of the public was hiking the lower trail and came across [the man].

“He was lying on the trail unresponsive, help was immediately sought from the RCMP who attended with the BC Ambulance Service.”