Father tragically dies, three kids rescued after falling over 60m cliff on hiking trail

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NZ Herald

1 May, 2023 04:01 AM3 mins to read

Ryan Acord and family. Photo / GoFundMe

A father is dead and three boys have been rescued after they fell off a 60m cliff in the US while out on a hiking track they were wrongly led down by Google Maps, according to police.

Ryan Acord, 36, was hiking in Oregon with his wife, his two sons, and their 8-year-old friend when they fell over a cliff overlooking a rocky beach, Curry Country Sheriff John Ward said.

“They followed Google Maps and it pointed them in the wrong spot and they thought they were in the right spot so they parked and went down the wrong trail,” Ward told KOBI.

Through their GoFundMe page, the family said the trail they were supposed to hike down towards Secret Beach “wasn’t clearly marked”, and they ended up “on the wrong trail” after using Google Maps to try to find the right direction.

“The trail was easy enough up until approaching the waterfall where the trail became treacherous. At this point, it was too late and tragedy unfolded before their eyes,” read a message on the page.

Rescuers reached all three children and brought them to safety. Nolan, 8, suffered serious injuries and is being treated at a hospital, where he is expected to recover. Photo / Curry County Sheriff’s Office

According to officials, Acord could see the kids were about to go too far over the embankment, so he rushed over to stop them.

Instead, he ended up slipping while trying to save them. Acord fell 60m down the cliff to his death, landing on a rocky beach.

Acord died at the scene, while 8-year-old Nolan Haptonstall, who also fell, was found at the trail’s end on the beach by first responders.

Nolan suffered serious injuries from the fall but is expected to make a full recovery.

Search and rescue found 12-year-old Kade Acord “hanging onto a small tree” which stopped him from falling further, according to police.

Eight-year-old Liam Stidham was uninjured and released.

Secret Beach is one of several hidden beaches in the area. Three people have died in the area in the last three years.

The Acord family believed they were hiking down to Secret Beach along the southern Oregon coast near Brookings. However, they had instead found a different beach a little further north. Photo / Curry County Sheriff’s Office

Ward said that there have been several “issues along that whole coastline” in recent years, according to KOBI.

“I can’t tell you how many times search and rescue has responded down there in the last several years because people find themselves in situations they cannot get out of,” he told the outlet.

Acord’s family paid tribute to the father, saying his life wasn’t lost for nothing.

“Ryan [Acord] lost his life doing what he loved most,” sister-in-law Abigail wrote, adding, “he didn’t die for nothing, he risked his life to save a child.”

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