A second man has died as a result of injuries sustained in the Dec. 23 Quicksilver chair accident on Whistler Mountain. Whistler coroner Peter Gordon says an autopsy performed on James Roche shows he died of a blood clot brought on by the accident. The 50-year-old Roche was airlifted to a Vancouver hospital following the accident last month in which four chairs fell from the Quicksilver haul line. Roche was in hospital for 12 days recovering from fractured vertebrae and ribs. He had been released from hospital Thursday but was re-admitted Friday after he collapsed. He died later that evening. The blood clot is believed to have originated from an injury. It then moved to his lungs and obstructed an artery. Trevor MacDonald, 25, was also killed in the accident. He died at the accident site. Meanwhile, Gordon and the accident investigation team are doing mechanical tests and looking into the design and history of the lift. No conclusions are expected for several weeks. The Quicksilver lift remains closed pending the outcome of the investigation.
