Kentucky man dies after falling 177 feet off Oregon waterfall

By The Washington Times (U.S.) | Created at 2026-08-13 18:46:10 | Updated at 2026-08-13 21:08:11 4 hours ago

By Brad Matthews - The Washington Times - Thursday, August 13, 2026

A man visiting Silver Falls State Park close to Portland, Oregon, fell 177 feet to his death off a waterfall while trying to pose for a photo.

The Oregon State Police said in an alert that victim Zachary Mertens, 20, of Kentucky “accessed a closed area” at around 6:30 p.m. Monday to get a picture at the top of the South Falls waterfall before slipping and falling to his death.

“It was a pretty horrific accident,” Silver Falls State Park regional manager Chris Gilliand told the Salem Statesman Journal.

Following the incident, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office recovered the body of Mr. Mertens, state police said.

Kentucky’s Bellevue Independent Schools system, from which Mr. Mertens graduated, said in a release that “this tragic loss has deeply affected our school community, and our thoughts are with Zach’s family, classmates, friends, and all those who knew and loved him.”