Mountain Biker Dies after Crash at Vail, CO

August 18th, Vail, CO— Mark V. Johnson, of Beverly, Massachusetts, was visiting Vail when he fatally crashed while mountain biking.  Eagle County Coroner, Kara Bettis, deemed blunt force trauma to his abdomen as the cause of death.

David Williams was also biking near the top of Chair 8 that day when he discovered Johnson behind a berm and in an drop-off with tree stumps and large rocks.  Williams found Johnson when he was still conscious, and immediately called 911.

Vail Patrollers were on the scene momentarily, where they attempted to revive Johnson for 30 minutes.  After unsuccessful efforts, he was transported to the Vail Valley Medical Center and pronounced dead.

“Mark Vincent Johnson, 26, of Beverly, Mass., passed away August 15, 2017, in a mountain biking accident in Vail, Colo. Born in Boston, he was the beloved son of Philip and Suzanne (Burke) Johnson. 
Mark was enrolled in the University of Alaska Engineering School. He was a member of the United States Army, serving at Fort Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska in the 3509 Parachute Infantry Regiment. He volunteered at the Beverly Bootstraps food pantry. He loved the outdoors, snowboarding, mountain biking, and backpacking. 
Donations in Mark’s memory may be made to the Sierra Club, 50 Federal St. 3rd floor, Boston, MA 02110. Information, directions, condolences at www.campbellfuneral.com.”- The Salem News