Man rescued after falling from cliff during hike

This is a press release courtesy of the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office

On Wednesday, September 24, 2008 at 5 p.m. the Clackamas County Communications Center (CCOM) received an emergency cell phone call from an injured Nathan Stewart, age 24, of West Linn.

Nathan Stewart was in distress, injured, may have been unconscious for an unknown period of time and having difficulty breathing – understandably so -- Nathan had fallen from a 60' cliff while hiking in the Molalla River State Park.

Nathan described to the dispatcher how he had been hiking in the Molalla River State Park, and had fallen from a hiking trail an estimated 60'. Consequently, all of his back-packing equipment remained on the trail overhead; however, with good fortune his cell phone had also survived the 60' fall from the trail with Nathan.

Canby Fire Rescue personnel were able to locate Nathan within 20-minutes of being dispatched to the scene. Nathan was located an estimated one-quarter mile inside the Molalla Park.

LifeFlight was alerted and responded to the scene – airlifting a conscious and breathing Nathan to Oregon Health Sciences University Hospital, in Portland.

A Clackamas County Sheriff's Deputy on the scene, reports that Nathan Stewart was expressing to paramedics prior to lift-off the discomfort he was experiencing with his hip, rib cage and knee.