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Video: Wash. EMTs, paramedics rescue man after 50-foot fall from cliff

Volcano Rescue Team EMTs and paramedics reached the patient via a side trail while technical crews set up rope systems and an artificial high directional to reach the victim

By Helena Wegner
Merced Sun-Star

YACOLT, Wash. — 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.

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 from Portland, Oregon.

© 2025 the Merced Sun-Star (Merced, Calif.).
Visit www.mercedsunstar.com.
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