Police report sheds light on Redmond man’s death from cold exposure after crash, fall on rocks above Dry Canyon

(Update: DA releases victim's name, says family does not object)

REDMOND, Ore. (KTVZ) – Newly released details from a police report shed more light on the cold-exposure death of a 38-year-old Redmond man who crashed his SUV into rocks at the edge of the Dry Canyon, then got out and apparently fell about five feet into a crevice in snowy, near-zero temperatures.

Deschutes County District Attorney Steve Gunnels provided to NewsChannel 21 two pages of a report on last Sunday’s incident, written by Redmond Police Sgt. Jonny Dickson, redacted to remove the man’s name.

On Monday, Gunnels provided the man's name, saying the family of Philip Gerhart had been notified and did not object to release of his name.

Dickson wrote that he was dispatched around 8:15 a.m. Sunday to the crash in the 100 block of Southwest Canyon Drive, west of West Antler Avenue, after a caller said a gray SUV appeared to have driven over the canyon edge. The caller said no one was near the vehicle and it appeared unoccupied.

Dickson first drove to a skate park on Black Butte Boulevard and looked up to see a Toyota 4-Runner with its front end apparently hanging over the edge, above the Dry Canyon Trail.

Dickson then followed the single vehicle track in the snow down a small east-west alley that led to the silver 4Runner. He got out of his patrol car and found no foot tracks near the SUV. The driver door was open, and a warning buzzer was sounding. He saw no one nearby, or any sign of footprints.

“I assumed whoever drove the vehicle here may have climbed down the canyon wall,” he said.

When Dickson reached the edge of the rock face, he looked down and saw someone in a crevice about five feet down, determining the driver had gotten out and fell. The man, wearing a dark jacket and blue jeans, had on socks but not shoes. He was not responsive and “exhibited shallow breathing,” Dickson said.

The officer said his initial attempts to pull the man free and out of the rocky crevice failed due to his position and “the fact he appeared to be frozen to the ground below.” When the officer deployed a rescue strap, the man “began to moan,” and appeared to have a bump on his forehead from the fall.

Unsure of the hole’s depth, Dickson maintained his position until fire medics arrived and performed a technical rescue. The man was identified from his driver license photo and was taken in critical condition to St. Charles Bend, where he later passed away.

Dickson said the SUV had a blown right rear tire, and there was warm clothing in a car seat. The man’s cellphone also was found.

Dickson said the crash destroyed the front of the SUV and the front driver-side tire was suspended between an initial and secondary cliff wall, creating “a hole in which (the man) was able to fall into.”

The officer said the tire tracks in the easement that separates two private properties did not indicate high speed or sliding, so the actual speed of the crash is unknown, as is whether he was wearing a seat belt. There also were no signs in the snow-covered scene of other vehicles or people having been in the area. Dickson also noted there are no speed or other signs warning of the canyon edge.

Based on witnesses and evidence, Dickson said he believes the fatal injuries came from “falling from the stopped vehicle and exposure to cold weather elements.”

Deschutes and Crook County Medical Examiner Anne Onishi confirmed earlier that it was a 38-year-old man who was married and lived and worked in the area.

A neighbor told NewsChannel 21 someone knocked on their door around 8 a.m. Sunday and said there was a car hanging off the edge of the cliff, and a man was found lying in the snow. It’s not known how long he was there.

It's Central Oregon's first reported death from cold exposure (hypothermia) from recent winter storms.But at least 10 other deaths elsewhere in Oregon have been linked to fallen trees or suspected hypothermia in Oregon's recent severe storms and extreme cold, The Associated Press reported.