Oregon Man Falls 200 Feet to His Death While Hiking Waterfall With His Wife and 5 Children

An Oregon man has died after plummeting 200 feet while hiking a waterfall with his family, according to authorities.

The Multnomah County Sheriff's Office identified the man as 41-year-old Gerardo Hernandez-Rodriguez.

Witnesses told the sheriff's office that Hernandez-Rodriguez fell to his death sometime around 1:30 p.m. on July 1 while visiting Multnomah Falls with his wife and five children.

He stumbled down an embankment, the witnesses said. They told the sheriff's office said the witnesses then lost sight of the man. 

Sheriff’s deputies teamed up with a U.S. Forest Service ranger to search for the missing man, and used drones to search some of the more inaccessible and steep terrain.

Those drones were provided by the Gresham Police Department, while Corbett firefighters prepared to rappel from the trail should there be any sign of the Hernandez-Rodriguez, according to the sheriff's office.

The sheriff's office referred to efforts they were making as a search, and never a rescue mission.

A sheriff's deputy eventually located the body of Hernandez-Rodriguez at the base of a cliff on the south side of the Historic Columbia River Highway. 

The Multnomah County Sheriff's Office says that the victim fell 200 feet, and that "alcohol impairment was likely a contributing factor in the fall."

As of Tuesday, a GoFundMe to Help Hernandez-Rodriguez's widow and their five children was already halfway to its $10,000 goal.

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