BOYNE FALLS, MI – A 31-year-old man died after crashing into the concrete base of a lift tower at Boyne Mountain Resort in Northern Michigan, according to a family member.
Travis Fleming, 31, of Grayling, was skiing with his brother, Matt Mercier, on Thursday morning, March 28, when the crash happened. Fleming was an experienced skier and was wearing a helmet.
“If he struck the pole, I feel he would still be with us,” Mercier told MLive. “Unfortunately, he struck the exposed concrete below the padding.”
The first people to assist Fleming were two registered nurses who stopped on the hill, he said. Ski patrol also responded to the incident.
Fleming was given CPR on the hill and in the back of an ambulance, Mercier said. He was eventually transported to a McLaren Northern Michigan Hospital in Petoskey where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
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Fleming is survived by his wife and 5-year-old son. Mercier set up a GoFundMe campaign to help support them.
“I’m just trying to buy them some time to figure out life,” Mercier said.
Officials at Boyne provided a brief statement to MLive on Friday but declined to provide Fleming’s identity and information about his injuries.
The Charlevoix County Sheriff’s Office and Boyne Valley Fire Department have not returned calls from MLive.
