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Woman falls 100 feet to her death in front of horrified friends while hiking in Oregon's Multnomah Falls

The Multnomah County Sheriff's Office advised hikers to exercise caution and keep an eye out for dangers

PORTLAND, OREGON: A woman who was hiking with her friends in Oregon's Columbus River gorge, a well-known tourist destination, died after falling 100 feet off a trail and suffering significant head injuries. The incident occurred on Friday, August 19 on the Multnomah Falls-Larch Mountain Trail, some 30 miles east of Portland, Oregon, according to the authorities.

A statement from the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office claims that emergency services were summoned at 1.15 pm on Friday, August 19 to report that a hiker had fallen close to the Wiesendanger Falls, roughly 17 miles east of Portland. Four firemen from the Corbett Fire District commenced the nearly 1.3-mile hike away from the trailhead to locate the woman shortly after crews reached the scene, according to authorities. 

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According to the statement, firefighters pronounced the woman dead immediately after they arrived at the scene. In order to recover the woman's body, Multnomah County Search and Rescue workers teamed up with the medical examiner's office. Emergency workers discovered onlookers giving the woman CPR, according to Corbett Fire. She was, nonetheless, declared dead at the spot. 

Authorities have not yet revealed the victim's name or the circumstances surrounding her fall since they are still waiting to notify her family. Trauma counselors were deployed to help the deceased woman's friends. Although the canyon is a beautiful location, the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office advised hikers to exercise caution and keep an eye out for dangers when they are in the area, according to KOIN.

Stephanie Weinstein, a tourist who was about to visit Multnomah Falls, told KPTV, "It's terribly devastating." Weinstein and her family had arrived from Canada and were about to visit the popular tourist spot but changed their plans after learning about the tragedy. "I don't think we'll do this route out of respect for that person and the place so we'll find another trail," she said.

Weinstein, who enjoys hiking and usually goes on outdoor adventures, said she intends to caution individuals to be well-prepared while hitting the trails by choosing proper footwear, bringing adequate food and water, and being aware of the terrain before beginning to walk.

"It hit us hard to know that happened here, because people who hike, enjoy hiking. Especially my teenage son really likes to go to the edge of trails, horrible things could happen," Weinstein said. "I'm sending all my prayers, and my thoughts to them." That said, the circumstances behind the hiker's fatal fall are as yet unclear.

The Columbia River gorge is a "spectacular river canyon" that is up to 4,000 feet deep and 80 miles long and the Multnomah Falls is the most well-liked outdoor recreation area in the Pacific Northwest, with more than two million visitors each year, according to the US Forest Service.