The Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office identified 41-year-old Gerardo Hernandez-Rodriguez as the Beaverton father of five who died after falling 200 feet down an embankment while hiking at Multnomah Falls Saturday afternoon.
Witnesses told police they saw Hernandez-Rodriguez hiking on the trail beyond the Benson Bridge about 2 p.m. when he stumbled and fell down the embankment, the sheriff’s office said in a statement Monday.
Investigators initially believed Hernandez-Rodriguez fell between 100 and 150 feet.
Hernandez-Rodriguez was with his wife and five children when he fell, said sheriff’s office spokesperson John Plock on Sunday.
A sheriff’s deputy found Hernandez-Rodriguez in the brush at the base of the cliff on the south side of the Historic Columbia River Highway, officials said.
Sheriff’s officials believe alcohol impairment likely contributed to his fall.
A woman hiking in the same area died after falling 100 feet near Wiesendanger Falls in August 2022. She was with friends when she fell.
