Man Survives 150-Foot Fall

SNOQUALMIE - A 22-year-old Renton man fell 150 feet down a cliff and landed in the Snoqualmie Falls basin early today but lived.

The man, identified as Matt Mueller, was in serious condition in Seattle's Harborview Medical Center with chest, pelvis and possible head injuries.

Snoqualmie Fire Marshall Mike Absher said Mueller and a friend were camping on the south side of the ledge above the falls, which is private property, when the two decided to build a bonfire around 4 a.m. The campsite was directly across from the observation deck, which is on the north side of the falls basin.

While collecting wood, Mueller apparently slipped on the icy rim of the ledge and fell 150 feet into some brush and rocks, about 100 feet above the basin of the falls, Absher said.

"He was up the hill, back in the brush - the trees broke his fall quite a ways," said Absher, who directed the rescue from the top of Snoqualmie Falls.

Mueller's companion then went to the home of Puget Power hydroelectric supervisor Glen Simons, who lives on the power-plant site, and asked Simons to call 911, according to Puget Power officials.

Absher said when fire and rescue workers arrived, they hiked into the falls from David Powell Road. It took several hours to reach Mueller and get him down from the icy bank where he had fallen, Absher said.

Snoqualmie police said the area is extremely hazardous, and the two men would have had to go through the utility's generating plant and walk across a railroad trestle to reach it. The falls and the land around it are owned by Puget Power.

Utility officials said that during the rescue operation, all the water coming over the falls was diverted into the generating plant to reduce mist at the base of the falls, effectively shutting down the falls. Rescuers were able to land a helicopter on the banks of the Snoqualmie River and get Mueller airlifted out at 8:10 a.m.

Mueller was conscious during the rescue, Absher said.

Police said they would investigate to decide if the men should be charged with trespassing.

Absher said he had known Mueller since he was little, and that he enjoyed hunting and camping. "My son and him were hunting buddies," Absher said. "He's a little too curious."