A mother and her two-year-old daughter both narrowly survived with their lives after falling 100 feet while hiking the Multnomah Falls outside Portland on Sunday.
The pair fell into the water of the bottom pool of the falls after the toddler first slipped near the Benson Bridge that straddles the popular trail and her mother lost her balance trying to save her.
The as-yet unidentified mom and daughter were both ‘alert and conscious’ after their terrifying fall which happened around midday, local law enforcement announced.
Both were pulled from the water by fellow hikers who flock to the popular trail in their hundreds daily to wonder at the impressive 620ft top drop of the waterfall.
The mother and her toddler were ‘alert and conscious’ after their 100 ft fall along the hike at Multnomah Falls on Sunday. They were taken to the hospital to recover from non-life threatening injuries
Julia Hariri (left), Erica Klein (center) and Hope Monaghan (right) were beginning their hike when they heard screams for a help a woman frantically searching for her daughter and grandbaby
Jill Willis, Vice President of Multnomah Falls Company, said fellow hikers quickly jumped into action to take care of the baby as the mother was being treated for her injuries by an off-duty paramedic who was along the trail
The mother and daughter were rushed to Oregon Health & Science University with non-life threatening injuries and are expected to make a full recovery
Indeed, good Samaritan Shane Roundy was one of the hikers who rescued them.
He was in the bathroom along the trail when he heard people screaming for help. He ran out and immediately jumped into the water to save the woman and her child.
Witness Julia Hariri told KATU she saw a woman crawling back up to the trail from where the two fell, she assumes it was the woman’s mother who came down to the bottom of the trail about seven to eight minutes later. Hariri heard the woman frantically yelling trying to find her daughter and grandbaby, who at that point was already surrounded by fellow hikers on the trail.
‘I grabbed Katie, (the baby), and asked Olivia (the mother) if she was okay,’ Roundy told Fox 12. ‘I told her I would be back for her. She said, “Just keep my baby safe, keep my baby safe.”‘
He brought the toddler back to the trail where his family and others were waiting to take her while he went back for the mother.
‘I did everything I can to make sure that (the daughter) is safe,’ Roundy said. ‘That’s all I want and know going forward that Katie and Olivia are safe, and they didn’t get too hurt.’
Witnesses sprung into action taking blankets and coats from the gift shop nearby and even removing their own clothing to warm the child. An off-duty paramedic rushed to help the woman until authorities arrived.
‘It was very clear like the baby was like injured,’ witness, Ericka Klein recounted to KATU. ‘Someone had grabbed the baby from the mom, and then somebody else was down there with the mom, making sure she was okay. She had a broken leg, I think.’
A state park ranger warned of slippery terrain, uneven footing, and potential landslides while hiking in the area during this time of year
Kanyon Reams, a paramedic with the Corbett Fire Department, was sent to the scene where he found the mother with a fractured leg and injuries to her face and abdomen.
‘There was a ton of manpower down there because of those off-duty medical personnel,’ Reams said to Fox 12. ‘We were quickly able to extricate the patient.’
Employees at the falls called 911 and helped to clear a path for emergency services. ‘That could be a challenge out here, making sure that emergency vehicles can get down the highway because it can get very congested,’ explained Willis.
The two were taken to Oregon Health & Science University and expected to fully recover from their injuries.
Multnomah Falls, located about 30 miles northeast of Portland, is the state’s tallest waterfall and the most visited natural recreation site in the Pacific Northwest, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
It is listed as a moderate trail with the bridge being reached the first few minutes of the hike.
State Park Ranger Jamen Lee explained: ‘It’s always challenging in the gorge for us to prepare visitors for the terrain and the conditions.’ He warned of slippery terrain, uneven footing, and potential landslides during this time of year.