A 41-year-old man who was hiking at a popular waterfall in Oregon died over the weekend when he tripped and fell 200 feet off a cliff, authorities said Monday.
The hiker, identified as Gerardo Hernandez-Rodriguez, was found dead at the base after rescuers responded to reports of his fall in Multnomah Falls on Saturday afternoon, the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
“Hernandez is estimated to have fallen nearly 200 feet,” the office said. “It is believed that alcohol consumption was likely a contributing factor in the decline.”
nbc affiliate KGW of Portland reported that Hernandez was the father of five children.
He was on a trail near the Benson Bridge when he fell, the sheriff’s office said. Sheriff’s deputies, a US Forest Service ranger and first responders from the Corbett Fire District launched a search and rescue operation.
The terrain was described by the sheriff’s office as “inaccessible” and “steep.”
An officer found Hernandez’s body on the historic Columbia River Highway, directly below his fall, he said.
The 620-foot Multnomah Falls, 30 miles east of Portland, is part of the Columbia River Gorge and stands out as the most-visited natural recreation site in the Pacific Northwest, according to the US Forest Service.
The sheriff’s office urged visitors to take the area’s trails seriously by preparing for rough terrain and studying a map ahead of time.
“It’s not a paved road,” MP John Plock told KGW. “This is a hiking trail, so we encourage people to come prepared for a real hike.”
