FATAL HIKING ACCIDENT IN TILLAMOOK COUNTY

Photos provided by Oregon State Police

September 28, 2020 10:30 a.m.

A Seaside man lost his life when he fell from a limb into the ocean at Devil’s Cauldron trail in Oswald West State Park in Tillamook County, on Sunday.

A report from Oregon State Police said shortly after 1:45 p.m. troopers and emergency personnel responded to a report that a person had fallen from a cliff.

The preliminary investigation revealed two people had walked down the trail to take a picture at a cliff side viewpoint. 43-year old Steven Gastelum climbed a tree on the cliff’s edge to pose for the photograph. The report said a limb broke on the tree, causing him to fall approximately 100 feet into the ocean.

U.S. Coast Guard helicopter and Nehalem Bay Fire Department jet skis assisted in locating the victim and bringing him to shore. Gastelum was transported to Tillamook Bay Regional Medical Center where he was pronounced deceased.