Teen Dies in Tragic Fall at SR 14 Scenic Lookout Location

The Skamania County Sheriff's Office say a tragic fall claimed the life of a 17-year-old teen on Wednesday. Skamania County borders Yakima and Klickitat Counties to the east, and Clark County (Vancouver) to the west.

  The teen fell down a steep embankment at Cape Horn Lookout

Cape Horn is a scenic area along State Route 14, which runs along the Columbia River, following the same route as I-84 on the Oregon side of the river. The area is about 20 miles east of Vancouver, and sees a lot of visitors.  The SCSO says they got a call from a family, saying a 17-year-old male teen had fallen down a very steep embankment at the Lookout area.

The caller said he tried to make vocal contact with his brother, but to no avail. Skamania County Emergency Medical Services and Skamania County Fire District Four units responded quickly, and determined they needed rescue assistance from the Southwest Washington Region 4 Technical Rescue, Skamania County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue, and Silver Star Search and Rescue Teams.

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They have experience in rough and steep terrain situations. Unfortunately, when they located the boy far down the steep cliff side,  he was deceased.

The incident was ruled accidental by the rescue teams.