As of July 31, 23-year-old Josh Chapman of Whistler remained in critical but stable condition at Vancouver General Hospital with burns to a large part of his body.
Chapman was injured on the evening of July 20 at a street party in the Squamish industrial park when he attempted to wheelie a snowmobile through a wall of fire. According to the RCMP, which attended the scene along with local fire and ambulance services, he wasn’t wearing any safety gear while attempting the stunt, and both the rider and the snowmobile caught fire.
The RCMP is investigating the incident and is still interviewing witnesses from the party. They have also obtained additional video footage of the accident which they are reviewing.
The police are currently treating the case as an accident, but have not ruled out laying charges if they discover any laws were broken that contributed to the injury.
Chapman is a professional snowboarder who grew up in Squamish, and recently moved to Whistler to be closer to the mountains.
