3 deadly falls in a month in Hocking Hills

Associated Press

LOGAN, Ohio

The second deadly fall in three days in the Hocking Hills region of southeastern Ohio occurred near a waterfall, officials said Monday.

The latest fatal fall occurred Monday afternoon near Cedar Falls waterfall in Hocking Hills State Park, about 45 miles southeast of Columbus, Ohio Department of Natural Resources spokesman Mark Bruce said. No other details about the victim or the circumstances were immediately available.

It would be the third fall-related death in the area in the past month.

A Dayton-area man died Saturday afternoon when he fell about 130 feet from the top of a cliff while rappelling in Hocking Hills State Forest. A report released Monday identified him as 52-year-old Peter Livingston of Centerville.

Livingston had accompanied a Boy Scout troop and was rappelling in a rock-climbing area when he fell, Bruce said.

Late last month, separate falls at the state park left a young man dead and a young woman seriously injured. A 19-year-old Columbus man left a marked hiking trail to climb a rock face and fell about 60 feet from a cliff on April 27. In a different part of the park that day, a 23-year-old Chillicothe-area woman left a trail, slipped on the edge of a cliff and fell about 100 feet.

As Memorial Day weekend kicks off the summer season that draws more hikers, state officials are encouraging visitors to act responsibly and wear appropriate safety equipment while taking part in recreational activities at Hocking Hills and on other state property.

Guest safety is the top priority for ODNR, which routinely reviews signage, barriers and other conditions at its facilities to help ensure visitors know what’s safe, Bruce said.