Man Disappears After Falling Into River

The search was called off Sunday night for a Tacoma man who fell down an embankment into the Snoqualmie River.

Crews planned to resume the search this morning, said King County police spokeswoman Joanne Elledge.

The 24-year-old man and a female companion were hiking Sunday morning on a narrow trail on Weyerhaeuser Co. property, about four miles north of North Bend, Elledge said.

The man, whose name was not released, fell about 20 feet down an embankment and into the river. He apparently hit his head but remained conscious and grabbed onto a rock in the water, Elledge said.

The man told his companion to go for help.

“He had hit his head pretty hard, he had a huge lump on it. He decided he couldn’t get out on his own,” Elledge said.

When search and rescue crews got to the scene, the man was no longer there. Elledge said although the river level was quite low, the man may have been pulled under by whirlpool-like currents.

About 40 to 50 people from several rescue organizations combed the river downstream on both sides. A helicopter and police 4-wheel-drive utility vehicles also took part in the search.