CORNWALL, Ontario – A former Williamstown resident was killed in a so-called “speed-flying” incident in British Columbia on Sunday, the coroner’s office has said.
Kyle MacDonald-Wolochatiuk died in the incident at the Stawamus Chief Mountain, a popular hiking and hang gliding area in Squamish, B.C., his father Nick told Seaway News in an email.
Barbara McLintock, a spokesperson for the B.C. coroner’s office said MacDonald-Wolochatiuk died after hitting the ground when he encountered problems during a speed-flying session at about 6:15 p.m. Sunday.
McLintock said speed-flying is not unlike paragliding “but you use a much smaller wing…to give you a more adrenaline-filled descent.
“It’s one of the extreme sports.”
McLintock said MacDonald-Wolochatiuk crashed after experiencing some problems in the air.
“It seems probable he hit a tree. Then fell all the way to the ground,” she said.
MacDonald-Wolochatiuk’s death is tragic for a number of reasons. His wife Krista Besner is due to deliver a child Wednesday, and his sister Kara was killed 20 years ago.
“One life has just been ended, and another is on its way to take his place,” said Nick, who is also a longtime contributor to Seaway News through his ‘Dances With Words’ column.
RCMP in Squamish, B.C. told Seaway News that officers responded to a search and rescue request Sunday but have since turned the investigation over to the provincial coroner’s office.
