A 20-year-old man has died after falling from a waterfall while attempting to take photographs in a restricted area at a popular Oregon beauty spot.
Zachary Nicholas Mertens, from Kentucky, plunged about 54m after reportedly slipping near the top of South Falls in Silver Falls State Park, a 3642-ha
reserve renowned for its waterfalls.
Oregon State Police said troopers and Marion County Sheriffâs Office deputies were called to the park at 6.36pm on Monday after reports that someone had fallen from the top of the waterfall.
âTroopers determined the individual, Zachary Nicholas Mertens, 20, of Burlington, KY, accessed a closed area to pose for photographs at the top of the waterfall. Mertens slipped and fell into the water,â police said.
The Statesman Journal reported that a witness performed CPR at the scene, but Mertens was pronounced dead shortly after the fall.
âIt was a pretty horrific accident. A very tough situation,â regional park manager Chris Gilliand told the Journal.
The Marion County Sheriffâs Office Search and Rescue team led the recovery efforts. No further details have been released.
The tragedy is the latest serious incident at South Falls. In 2020, a teenager was injured after attempting to dive from the waterfall, while other accidents in the area have previously proved fatal.
South Falls forms part of the state parkâs Trail of Ten Falls, according to Oregon State Parks, a nationally recognised hiking route that winds through dense forest and a rugged canyon landscape. The trail links a series of waterfalls before descending to a creek on the valley floor.
The incident comes just weeks after three members of the same family, including a child, died after falling from Germanyâs tallest observation tower in the Harz Mountains, Metro UK reported.
The victims were found at the base of the 65m timber-and-steel structure, which features two viewing platforms and a glass-floored skywalk suspended 45m above the ground.
