The family of a California teen who plummeted to his death at Capilano Suspension Bridge is speaking with police investigators in North Vancouver, RCMP said yesterday.
“It’s really hard to say exactly what happened in those moments leading up to the death,” said Const. Michael McLaughlin.
“We have to make sure that we look at all the facts, take a deep breath, and see exactly what happened.”
The teen, who police have not publicly named, was part of band trip from a San Francisco-area high school, according to media reports.
A Facebook tribute page identifies him as Daniel Cho, a music student from Aragon High School in San Mateo, Calif.
He fell about 30 metres into the canyon from a viewing platform on the west side of the bridge at about 7 p.m. Sunday. The railings at the site of the fall are 1.2-metres high (four feet).
A firefighter quickly rappelled down, but the boy was already dead, said Mark Barton, a West Vancouver assistant fire chief and the incident commander at the scene.
It took an hour and a half to haul the teen’s body up from the canyon floor in a basket stretcher, Barton said.
An autopsy was scheduled for this morning. A toxicology report is expected in four to six weeks.
The popular tourist attraction remained open for business yesterday.
Sue Kaffka, vice president of sales and marketing at the Capilano Suspension Bridge, called the incident a tragedy.
Asked whether she was worried about a possible lawsuit, Kaffka said a lot would depend on the RCMP investigation.
“It’s not something we’re thinking about today.”
