An Australian died after a late-night tobogganing ride at the Edmonton Ski Club early Sunday.
Friends have identified the man as Mitch Lawry, 22, who was working in the city as a travel agent at Flight Centre.
A friend who was with him at the time of the accident said Lawry hit his head on a tree. The friend, who didn’t want to be interviewed, said an ambulance rushed Lawry to the University Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
“I know that up until the point he passed away, he would have been smiling and laughing,” said Brenton Cooney, Lawry’s roommate and work colleague, who said he’s still trying to piece together all the details of his friend’s death.
“It’s very difficult to comprehend,” said Cooney.
“Mitch was an absolute gentleman, he was always smiling, he was always the life of the party. You could always trust him to find the good in the bad, the light in the darkness.”
Cooney said a late-night toboggan ride is exactly the kind of thing Lawry loved to do.
Lawry’s family lives in Australia. He recently toured central and south America with his father.
“His thirst for life was unquenchable, he was always hungry for something more, for a new experience,” said Cooney.
