John Ross Ferrara / Tuesday, May 11, 2021 @ 4:15 p.m. / Emergencies

Idaho Man Survives 200-Foot Fall From Nellies Cove Cliffside, Flown to Bay Area Hospital With Serious Injuries


Photos of the rescue provided by the Curry County Sheriff's Office.

Curry County Sheriff's Office press release:

Monday May 10th 2021 at about 6:24 p.m., the Curry County Sheriff’s Office Dispatch center received a 911 call from 21-year-old David Bowen, stating that he had fallen off about a 100-foot cliff, landed on a rock and had a broken leg.

Bowen stated that he and his friend, Elric Mack, both visiting from Boise Idaho were at the bottom of Nellies Cove in Port Orford next to the water’s edge.

Dispatch Deputies quickly got resources started that way by notifying the Port Orford Police, Cal-Ore Life Flight Ambulance, the Port Orford Fire Department and the Curry County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue Team.

Once first responders arrived and accessed the situation, the exact location and the nature of injuries, I asked dispatch to contact the U.S. Coast Guard for assistance with air-lifting Bowen off the beach with their helicopter.

The Port Orford Fire Department personnel had moved Bowen to the beach from the rocks where he had fallen, and the Cal Ore Life Flight Ambulance Crew stabilized the leg injury. Those first responders along with about eight Search and Rescue Members helped the Coast Guard prepare Bowen to be air lifted from the beach.

Bowen was flown directly to Bay Area Hospital due to his serious injuries. It was realized after looking at the cliff Bowen had fallen from it was more like about 200 feet.

I want to thank all first responders who do these things in our community without expectation of any notoriety or benefit to themselves. They are all heroes in my book, and I have been blessed to be a part of their team.


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