Report reveals teen on LSD before fatal fall

Aragon High School student Daniel Cho, who fell to his death from an observation area at the Capilano Suspension Bridge in North Vancouver in June during a school trip, was on LSD, according to a coroner’s report made public Friday.

Cho, 17, was on a trip to Vancouver, British Columbia, with a group of more than 100 students from Aragon’s music program when he fell from a viewing platform near the Capilano Suspension Bridge on Sunday, June 6. Witnesses reported uncharacteristic actions by the teen which the coroner found to be high on LSD, according to a Sept. 29 report by Coroner Mark Coleman which was made public Friday. Cho was one of three Aragon students on the trip to take the drug once in Canada.

Superintendent Scott Laurence explained taking drugs on a school trip is the same as taking drugs on a school campus. The action is punishable and was dealt with appropriately, he said.

Students and adults associated with the trip have had ample debriefing and access to counseling, he said.

Cho’s death, ruled an accident, was due to multiple blunt force injuries from his fall, Coleman wrote. Drugs contributed to his death.

The Aragon group arrived in Vancouver via a flight from Seattle and boarded a bus shortly after. Once onboard, Cho and two other students took LSD, according to Coleman’s report.

Adult chaperones noted the three boys exhibited strange behavior during the bus ride, which they planned to discuss with the students once in the hotel.

Once at the Capilano Suspension Bridge in North Vancouver, the other students reported no longer feeling effects of the drug but Cho appeared to still be intoxicated. He was described as bumping into and pushing people, tripping or falling off steps, and appearing to be angry and upset. Cho went over a barrier into an out-of-bounds area of the park and returned to the path. A chaperone told him to stay on the path, Coleman wrote.

His friends tried to calm Cho down but were met with anger. Shortly after, Cho reportedly went over a second barrier. He "fell down the side of the cliff and came to rest in the ravine below,” Coleman wrote.

"Cho went over the barrier on the lookout platform under his own power. In spite of the many warning signs and high barriers, Cho had earlier been seen going over similar barriers in a different location and had been warned to stop. Sadly, he did not,” Constable Michael McLaughlin wrote in a prepared statement released shortly after the event.

Numerous people were in the area when Cho went over the 4-foot fencing, however no one saw him go over or fall, according to Coleman.

The platform area is hidden by tall trees, shadows and the canyon terrain. Video surveillance of the area was not available.

As a result of the fall, Cho experienced a number of injuries including severe brain trauma, which caused his death. Coleman noted the LSD most likely impaired Cho’s judgment as there is no evidence the teen intended to harm himself.

Heather Murtagh can be reached by e-mail: heather@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344-5200 ext. 105.