Man dies after jumping off cliff into the Cowlitz River
CASTLE ROCK, Wash. - A man who jumped off a 50-foot cliff into the Cowlitz River was later found dead about a mile downstream.
Saturday morning, emergency responders got reports that a man had run into trouble on the river near Lions Park in Castle Rock, Wash.
Bystanders reportedly saw the man yelling for help after his jump but there was no way anyone could reach him because of the high cliffs in the area. The man tried to swim to shore but went under.
"People saw him enter the water and then within a few minutes heard him calling for help," said Sgt. Scott Neves with the Castle Rock Police Department. "And then he disappeared."
A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter later spotted the man's body from above and rescuers went in for a recovery effort. The victim was later identified as 43-year-old Michael L. Bell from Ryderwood, Wash.
According to a report in The Longview Daily News, Bell drowned nearly five years to the day that his brother also drowned in the Cowlitz River.
The water in the area is running fast and is very cold, prompting officials to once again warn folks of the dangers of our waterways, which don't necessarily warm up all that much in the summer. If you do choose to go swimming, life vests are advised.
You guys are mean. Â Poor guy.
I see they have updated this story. What are the odds of this happening to a family twice. I am so sad for the family of these two young men
Sometimes discretion is the better part of valor.
Another preventable death. Sad to see.
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@HarryJuku --T/D
Out have a fun time, just to end in tragedy. So sad :(
I know this area, it is not far from where I live. The water also can be extremely shallow in areas.
 In fact the water is so shallow in areas, you can walk from one side of the bank to the other.
Another preventable death. I see "dumbing down" as our downfall.Â
People are 10 feet tall and bullet proof when they are in their early 20's, not when they are 43!