22-year-old Utah man 'seriously injured' after jumping off Oregon's Abiqua Falls
A 22-year-old Utah man was rescued on May 18 after being injured from jumping around 90 feet from the top of Abiqua Falls, according to the Marion County Sheriff's Office.
Dispatch centers were texted at about 7:39 p.m. that the man, who was not named, "sustained serious injuries in a very remote area."
Silverton Fire was the first to arrive on scene and immediately requested additional support from multiple agencies, officials said.
Abiqua Falls, a popular hiking destination, is located in a remote area outside Scotts Mills.
"Responders worked collaboratively to safely extract the individual from the steep, heavily wooded terrain," a Facebook post from the Marion County Sheriff's Office said.
The man was eventually transported via ATV to a LifeFlight helicopter and then airlifted to a trauma center for treatment.
Officials said it was their understanding the man jumped off the top of the waterfall for fun. It's unclear exactly how he was injured — whether hitting the water or a shallow rock.
"This incident serves as an important reminder to exercise caution in wilderness areas: always have a plan, know your limits, and avoid taking unnecessary risks," the sheriff's office said in a Facebook post.
Abiqua Falls is one of Oregon's more popular and frequently photographed waterfalls. In recent years, extreme whitewater kayakers have run the waterfall, even leading to a spot on the "Today" show.
In 2020, a teenager was injured after attempting to jump off 177-foot South Falls at Silver Falls State Park.
The rescue was a joint effort involving WVCC, LifeFlight, METCOM, Silverton Fire, Woodburn Ambulance, Mt. Angel Fire, the Salem Fire Rope Team, and the Marion County Sheriff's Office Search and Rescue.
Zach Urness has been an outdoors reporter in Oregon for 18 years and is host of the Explore Oregon Podcast. He can be reached at zurness@StatesmanJournal.com or (503) 399-6801. Find him on X at @ZachsORoutdoors and BlueSky at oregonoutdoors.bsky.social.
This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Utah man rescued after jumping off Abiqua Falls in Oregon
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