Hiker dies after fall in Columbia River Gorge
COLUMBIA RIVER GORGE - A hiker died Wednesday evening after falling at Oneonta Falls in the Columbia River Gorge.
The man and three friends were climbing on a logjam just after 6 p.m. when he slipped and fell into shallow water with rocks all over the bottom. He died at the scene.
The accident happened about 100 yards up the Oneonta Trail.
The man was identified as Hassan Bin-Abdessellam Roussi, 22, of Portland. An autopsy is expected to determine the exact cause of death.
According to the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office, despite the warning signs, people climb on the logjams all the time and every year someone gets hurt.
"These trails are wet and when you are near the water and there’s splash, things are going to be wet," said Lt. Mary Lindstrand, spokeswoman for the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office. "Rocks are slippery, logjams are slippery – just the trail in itself is slippery."
Roussi had on tennis shoes but the sheriff’s office said hiking boots would have been better given what he and his friends they were doing.