Man falls 150 feet at Smith Rock while climbing without safety equipment

Published 1:40 pm Thursday, August 30, 2018

A Virginia man suffered life-threatening injuries Sunday afternoon when he fell while climbing at Smith Rock State Park.

Benjamin Schulman, 21, fell about 150 feet, then rolled a farther 100 feet down a steep slope in the southern section of the park while climbing a rock face not typically used as a climbing route, according to a Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office press release. Schulman, of Alexandria, Virginia, was not using ropes or safety equipment.

Sheriff’s office deputies and Redmond fire medics hiked into the park shortly after 4 p.m. and provided care until search and rescue personnel arrived to remove Schulman, who was flown to St. Charles-Bend. Because of Schulman’s location and injuries, the process took more than two hours, according to the sheriff’s office.

At the time of the accident, Schulman was camping in the area with climbers familiar with the park. However, his climbing experience is unknown.

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