BMX stunt gone wrong leaves man in his 30s dead near Vancouver seawall: firefighters

Stunt gone wrong ends in death by seawall A man in his 30s has died after attempting a dangerous move on his BMX bike near the Vancouver Convention Centre.

A man has died after an apparent stunt gone wrong near the seawall in downtown Vancouver Sunday.

The BC Coroners Service confirmed the death of a man in his 30s in a statement to CTV News Monday.

Spokesperson Andy Watson said the investigation "will look to determine how, where, when and by what means he came to his death," which occurred near the Vancouver Convention Centre.

Assistant Fire Chief Dave Boone told CTV News “two gentlemen were performing a stunt” near Jack Poole Plaza.

Boone said the victim’s brother was filming him on his BMX bike attempting a stunt from one platform to another. He fell about nine metres to the water below.

The firefighter explained that a bystander jumped from the seawall to the dock, which is approximately a four-metre drop, and broke both of his ankles in an attempt to help the victim.

“He crawls down the dock and proceeds to pull this guy out of the water onto the dock and initiates CPR,” said Boone.

First responders arrived on scene at 8:30 p.m. and took over life-saving efforts. After several minutes, first responders stopped and covered the person with a tarp.

The bystander was loaded onto a stretcher and taken to hospital for treatment.

“I’ve recommended this bystander be recognized for his efforts,” said Boone.

Witnesses told CTV they'd seen a man riding a bike on the seawall Sunday at around 8:30 p.m. They said the man was travelling along the walkway leading from the convention centre to Harbour Air's seaplane terminal when he flew off his bike and landed in the water.

A visibly distraught man was seen carrying a BMX bike from the scene and was talking to first responders.

Many people saw the incident unfold and were eventually told to leave by Vancouver Convention Centre security officials.

Vancouver police would not comment on the incident, except to refer CTV to the coroner.