Salem teenager falls to his death in state park

By Harold Gwin

Dustin Huffman would have been a senior at Salem High School this fall.

EAST LIVERPOOL — A Salem teen taking a break from work to do a little exploring appeared to slip and fall to his death in Beaver Creek State Park.

Ohio State Highway Patrol Trooper Kevin Thompson said Dustin Huffman, 17, of Edgewood Avenue, suffered head trauma and was pronounced dead at the scene by an investigator from the Columbiana County coroner’s office.

Huffman would have been a senior at Salem High School this fall. He was a member of Salem’s 4 X 200 relay track team that took the state championship in Division II in Columbus in early June.

Thompson said Huffman and Tyler Smith, 17, of Alliance, were employed for the summer by A-1 Tree Service, which was doing some work in a remote area of the park known as Gretchen’s Walk.

The two boys decided to do some exploring during a work break around 1:30 p.m. Tuesday and worked their way down into a gorge, winding up atop a sheer rock face.

Thompson said Smith told him that Huffman appeared to lose his footing and fall. He dropped between 80 and 100 feet onto a rocky area, Thompson said.

Smith made his way back up the hill and reached an A-1 supervisor who called 911 for help. That call came in at 1:47 p.m. Smith then went around the hill to make his way to Huffman’s side, Thompson said.

He told Thompson that Huffman was still breathing when he reached him but that he was unresponsive. Smith stayed with him, administering first aid until rescuers arrived, Thompson said.

The rescuers had to use fire department boats to cross Beaver Creek to reach the location, Thompson said.

Huffman was pronounced dead at the scene, and his body was taken to Salem Community Hospital, Thompson said.

This was Huffman’s second summer working for the tree service company, Thompson said.

Superintendent Lou Ramunno of the Salem city schools said school personnel would be at the high school today to counsel any students having difficulty dealing with the death.

Huffman, who was in the machine-trades program at school, was “extremely well liked,” said Greg Steffey, Salem athletic director, noting that Huffman had been working out with the football team this summer and planned to try out for the team this fall.

Steffey said he was at the Huffman home around 5 p.m. Tuesday and found 40 to 50 students who had gathered there after learning of Huffman’s death.

A group of young people always gathered at the Huffman residence Friday nights for a bonfire, Steffey said, and those at the home Tuesday said they planned to stay into the night to have a bonfire in their friend’s honor.

gwin@vindy.com