Man falls 50 feet from Deschutes River cliff in Bend

A man was injured in a reported 50-foot fall from a cliff along the west side of the Deschutes River in Bend Sunday night, but reportedly was alert and talking to responding fire medics, initial reports indicated.

A friend apparently called police to report the fall shortly before 9 p.m., which occurred midway between the Bill Healy Bridge and the footbridge crossing the Deschutes, according to initial police scanner reports.

Authorities closed or limited traffic on the Billy Healy Bridge (Reed Market Road) for a time as they determined the best access route, which apparently turned out to be the riverfront dog park near Columbia Street and the Bend Park and Rec headquarters.

We’ll have more details as they become available.