Florence, Ore — A 58-year old Eugene man died Sunday night from injuries suffered when the ocean surf rolled a large log over him as he tried to help family member on the North Jetty beach near Florence.
On April 20, 2014 at approximately 5:55 p.m., a report was received of a person being run over by a log in the surf about 50 yards north of North Jetty. The man was reportedly not breathing and a witness, who was an off-duty firefighter, pulled the man to a safe area and performed CPR. The man reportedly began breathing again before emergency responders arrived.
Siuslaw Fire & Rescue, Western Lane Ambulance, and Oregon State Police (OSP) responded to the scene. An ambulance transported MING HSIEH, age 58, from Eugene, to PeaceHealth Peace Harbor Medical Center where he was pronounced deceased after arrival.
Investigation indicated that the victim was visiting the beach with several family members and was sitting on the sand leaning against a log pole estimated 40 feet long and 25 inches in diameter. An elderly female family member was sitting on the log when a big wave came toward them, moving too fast for them to move out of the way. The water knocked the woman off the log and the victim and his daughter away from the log. The victim was trying to help the elderly woman up when the receding water pushed the log over him.
Oregon Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD) urges beach visitors to not approach logs that are within reach of the surf because even large logs or debris can easily move unexpectedly even in just a few inches of water.
Additional beach safety tips are available on the OPRD website at:
http://www.oregon.gov/oprd/PARKS/pages/beach_tips.aspx
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