California man presumed dead after falling into Oregon’s Devils Churn in failed leap
A California man is presumed dead after attempting to leap over Devils Churn, a turbulent inlet on the Oregon coastline.
Bystanders tried to help Steve Allen, 67, of Walnut Creek, stay aloft until help arrived, but he slipped away, The Oregonian reported Friday.
He was there with his wife, Linda Allen, when he tried to hop over a narrow section of Devils Churn on Thursday, but fell into the water instead. He was at the deep, narrow chute’s east end when he tried to jump from the south side to the north at about 2:20 p.m. in high tide, Yachats News reported.
“Troopers and emergency personnel responded for a subject who had fallen into the ocean at Devils Churn,” Oregon State Police said in a news release. “Fellow visitors attempted to rescue Allen but were unable to retrieve him from the water.”
Officials said rescue agencies last saw Allen unresponsive before losing sight of him. After searching by helicopter and boat once he disappeared, they suspended their search at 6:40 p.m., presuming him dead, the Salem Statesman Journal reported.
Witnesses said he was not attempting a stunt but had apparently thought he could jump over a deceptively narrow, 3- to 4-foot-wide section of the roiling water.
“It looks like you can jump across, but the other side is steep and slick,” Portland resident Andy Nelson told Yachats News on Friday. “He just missed his footing and fell back into the water.”
Thus began a frantic attempt to pluck Allen from the water – first with a makeshift line fashioned of belts, a dog leash and two shirts, Nelson told Yachats News, and then with a life ring brought by a ranger they summoned. Allen, floating on his back, clutched the ring for 10 to 15 minutes before losing his grip due to what Nelson said looked like a “pretty big” head injury.
The would-be rescuers positioned themselves to ensure no one else slipped and fell, Nelson said.
Devil’s Churn, a popular stopping point at Cape Perpetua on the central Oregon coast, is a somewhat narrow slice in the coastal basalt rock known for boiling water that kicks up large sprays of waves.
