PORTLAND, Ore. — Fourteen emergency responders spent more than an hour rescuing a kayaker injured Sunday at the base of a steep set of falls near Portland, Ore.
The sheriff’s office said 19-year-old Robert McKenzie of Eugene was taken to Oregon Health and Science University Hospital in Portland with a back injury, though the extent of the injury remains unknown.
“We have to assume the worst, the way they packaged him and sent him off,” said sheriff’s office spokesman Mark Matsushima. “I’ve been with the sheriff’s office for 20 years and nobody can recall something like this occurring. I guess you’d call it guerrilla extreme sports.”
McKenzie was with a group of kayakers who took turns running the falls as they recorded video in the state park in the Columbia River Gorge.
Two other kayakers apparently suffered injuries to their noses navigating the 120-foot, two-step drop. All wore helmets and life vests.
Matsushima said it appeared that McKenzie “belly flopped” his kayak into the pool of water at the base of the fall and likely absorbed the impact with his lower back.
“Anytime you hit the water from that height, the expression is it’s like hitting a concrete wall,” Matsushima said.
State parks spokesman Chris Havel said there are no explicit rules banning kayaking at the Bridal Veil Falls, but there is a “No Trespassing” sign at the head of the falls.
Matushima said the sheriff’s office is seeing a growing number of extreme activities in the Columbia River Gorge, but said there aren’t always specific rules in place banning them — in part, because no one envisioned the need for them.
“One would think you wouldn’t have to make that rule,” Matsushima said. “Common sense would say you wouldn’t do certain things.”
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