PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A 38-year-old Oregon man died from cold exposure Sunday after police found him frozen to the ground in 2-degree weather near the scene of a single-vehicle crash in Deschutes County on Jan. 14, the Redmond Spokesman first reported.
The unnamed man was found folded over in a snowy crevasse along a steep, boulder-lined hillside near Canyon Drive in Redmond at approximately 8:15 a.m. He was found feet away from a silver Toyota 4Runner, which had crashed among the rocks and was still running when officers arrived at the scene. The tragic crash was outlined in a detailed report by Redmond Police Department Sgt. Jonny Dickson, who was the first person at the scene.
“The vehicle was running and I could hear a warning buzzer going,” Dickson said. “I traversed the rock face toward the edge and looked down at which time I noticed a human figure in a crevice about 5 feet below from where I stood. It was at that time I determined the driver of the vehicle exited and fell approximately 5 feet down into the crevice wall. I immediately radioed for medics.”
It’s unknown if the driver was wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash. However, he is thought to have hit his forehead while exiting the crashed SUV. Dickson found the man unconscious with his body stuck to the frozen ground.
“Initial attempts to try and move the male were unsuccessful due to his positioning as well as the fact he appeared to be frozen to the ground below,” Dickson’s report reads.
While the officer initially attempted to remove the man from the scene, he determined that he required a technical rescue. Firefighters ultimately pulled the man from the icy rocks and he was taken to a hospital in Bend where he was determined to be in critical condition before his death.
According to Dickson’s report, there is no evidence that the man was speeding down the snowy alleyway prior to the crash. The alley was also said to have no signs warning on the impending cliffside.
“There are no posted speeds or placards warning of the canyon edge,” the report reads. “There are also no barriers that prevent travel over the edge from the end of the easement.”
The crash remains under investigation.