Curry County Search & Rescue responded to a report of a Grants Pass man and three children who had fallen from a cliff north of Brookings on Saturday. | Photo courtesy of Sheriff John Ward

From Curry County Sheriff John Ward:

Saturday April 22, 2023, the Curry County Sheriff’s Dispatch received a 911 transfer call from the Brooking Police Department regarding a report of three juveniles and a male adult that had fallen at Secret Beach, about thirteen miles north of Brookings on Highway 101.

The caller, twenty-eight-year-old Jordan Acord from Grants Pass, Or., was reporting that her two kids, her husband and a juvenile friend of the family had fallen over the cliff. Brookings Dispatch advised that they paged out medical and fire and that their patrol units were responding. The Sheriffs Dispatch paged out the Sheriff’s Search and Rescue rope team and sent available Patrol Deputies, the Sheriff, and a Patrol Sergeant.

An Oregon State Trooper responded to the scene. Sheriffs Dispatch contacted the U.S. Coast Guard to respond and at first, they were not able to do so, due to the foggy weather, but the weather cleared, and they responded from their North Bend air station.

As first responders started to arrive, it was quickly learned that the location was not at Secret Beach, but a small beach a little further north. Law Enforcement located the Acord’s vehicle at the Spruce Island View Point and then located the trail they went in on. A couple of first responders rappelled to the beach and located both eight-year-old Nolan Haptonstall and thirty-six-year-old Ryan Acord.

They provided medical assistance to Nolan and determined that Acord was deceased from the fall to the rocky beach. The two were located about 200’ below the trails end.

The U.S. Coast Guard Helicopter arrived and lowered a rescue swimmer down to the beach and eight-year-old Nolan was air lifted and flown to Curry General Hospital in Gold Beach where he was attended to and then flown by Air Reach to OHSU in Portland. The U.S. Coast Guard then returned to the beach area and was able to air lift the body of Ryan Acord to the Brookings airport where he was released to Redwood Memorial. SAR members were able to rappel to the other two juveniles that had fallen down the steep embankment, but not over the edge and bring them back to safety.

Twelve-year-old Kade Acord, who had fallen off the upper portion of the trail was hanging onto a small tree stopping him from falling the rest of the way, was transported by Cal Or Life Flight

Ambulance to Curry General hospital where he was attended to and released to his mother. Eight-year-old Liam Stidham, who had fallen of the trail in the upper portion was uninjured and released to his mother, Jordan Acord.

From the time of the initial call to when all units cleared was about five and a half hours. Those who responded for this SAR mission were the Curry County Sheriffs Office SAR and Patrol, Brookings Fire, Brookings Police, Cape Ferello Fire, Cal Ore Life Flight Ambulance, U.S. Coast Guard, and Oregon State Police.

At the time of this press release, I spoke to Nolan’s mother, and she reported that Nolan is doing fine, expected to have a full recovery, but had some serious injuries from his fall.

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