12-year-old clings to tree on cliff after fall that killed his dad, Oregon sheriff says

Emergency crews rescued a 12-year-old boy clinging to a tree on a cliff after a fall that killed his father, Oregon sheriff’s officials reported.

Rescuers also aided two other children who had fallen Saturday, April 22, near Brookings, the Curry County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.

A woman called 911 to report that her husband, two sons and young family friend had fallen off a cliff near Secret Beach, about 13 miles north of Brookings, sheriff’s officials said.

Rescuers found Ryan Acord, 36, and the 8-year-old family friend on a rocky beach 200 feet below the cliff, officials said.

Acord died in the fall and a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter airlifted the child to a hospital with serious injuries, rescuers said.

Rescuers also found Acord’s 12-year-old son clinging to a tree that had broken his fall partway down the cliff, the release said. Acord’s 8-year-old child had only fallen a short distance and was not hurt.

The rescue, involving multiple agencies, took more than five hours, the sheriff’s office said.

Brookings is a city of 6,800 people near the California border, about 330 miles south of Portland.

This story was originally published April 25, 2023 at 9:29 AM with the headline "12-year-old clings to tree on cliff after fall that killed his dad, Oregon sheriff says."