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‘Treacherous’ nighttime rescue saves man who fell 50 feet near Washington waterfall

Rescuers got a call at about 11:30 p.m. to help a man who fell 50 feet from a cliff at a waterfall, Big Tree Creek Falls, near Yacolt, Washington.
Rescuers got a call at about 11:30 p.m. to help a man who fell 50 feet from a cliff at a waterfall, Big Tree Creek Falls, near Yacolt, Washington. Volcano Rescue Team

A man fell 50 feet from a cliff near a waterfall in Washington, leading to a “treacherous” nighttime rescue, officials said.

Rescuers got the call at about 11:30 p.m. on March 23 at Big Tree Creek Falls near Yacolt, the Volcano Rescue Team said in a Facebook post.

The man had “significant traumatic injuries” after falling from the cliff, so rescuers rushed to save him, officials said.

Paramedics reached him first from a side trail and helped him.

Last night at approximately 11:30 the VRT, NCEMS, and CCFD#13 received a request for a high angle rope rescue at Big...

Posted by Volcano Rescue Team on Monday, March 24, 2025

Then the rescue team had to navigate slippery and treacherous conditions to reach him after setting up a rope system, officials said.

He was put into a litter and lifted to the roadway, where an ambulance took him to a hospital, officials said.

Big Tree Creek Falls includes two ”significant” waterfalls, with one located on private property with no public access, according to the Northwest Waterfall Survey.

Yacolt is about a 40-mile drive northeast of Portland, Oregon, in Washington’s Clark County.

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This story was originally published March 27, 2025 at 1:26 PM with the headline "‘Treacherous’ nighttime rescue saves man who fell 50 feet near Washington waterfall."

Helena Wegner
McClatchy DC
Helena Wegner is a McClatchy National Real-Time Reporter covering the state of Washington and the western region. She’s a journalism graduate from Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. She’s based in Phoenix.
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