College student Michelle Casey was trying to snap a picture of the Pacific Ocean from atop the scenic Neahkahnie Mountain, but instead the 22-year-old fell over a retaining wall and plummeted to her death.
The Oregon State University student was taking pictures with her boyfriend at the scenic cliff when she stepped over the retaining wall to get a better shot of the Oregon coast, the New York Post reported. While on the edge she slipped and fell, hitting a tree that stopped her from falling into the ocean below. Rescue personnel were able to make it to Casey, who was still alive and breathing, but was unconscious when the teams reached her.
It took more than an hour to free the college student from the tree, and the rescue effort was further complicated by the steep drop from the overlook off a highway. She was eventually pulled to safety and was airlifted to a hospital in Portland, but died later that night from her injuries.
Casey is now the second college student to fall to her death while taking a risky photograph in recent weeks. In April, a senior at Fordham University named Sydney Monfries fell from a clock tower on the campus while taking a picture from the top, which was described as something of a rite of passage for seniors at the university.
Monfries, who like Casey was from Oregon, was reportedly trying to get a clear view of the New York City skyline at 4 a.m. on a Sunday when she fell, hitting her head on the ground and suffering a pelvis injury, The Daily Mail reported. Monfries was taken to a nearby hospital, but later died from her injuries.
After the tragic accident, officials at Fordham University closed access to the tower atop Keating Hall, saying that students who went inside would face disciplinary action.
“The student apparently climbed into the clock tower with friends,” Fordham University spokesman Bob Howe told the New York Daily News .
“University officials are investigating how the students gained access to the tower.”
The university also sent a message to students informing them of the student’s tragic fall and asking them not to climb to the top of the tower.
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In Oregon, family members remembered Michelle Casey has a lover of the outdoors with a bubbly personality. After her death, Casey’s organs were donated to help save the lives of two other people, family said.
