Portland Man Dead After Base Jumping Accident Near Silverton

When deputies arrived on the property southeast of Silverton, they found the man's body at the base of an approximately 1000 feet high tower.

A 38-year-old man from Portland, Ore. is dead after a base jumping accident southeast of Silverton, Ore. Photo: Salem-News.com

(SILVERTON, Ore. ) - A 38-year-old man from Portland, Ore. is dead after a base jumping accident southeast of Silverton, Ore.

The Marion County Sheriff's office says friends of Zachary Sommer called authorities Thursday morning after they became worried when he had not contacted them Wednesday night after he called them to say he was going to perform a base jump.

When deputies arrived on the property southeast of Silverton, they found Sommer's body at the base of an approximately 1000 feet high tower.

Marion County Sheriff's Deputy Steve Cooper, who is an experienced base jumper, and known in the base jumping community believes Sommer grabbed a lanyard as well as the handle to deploy his pilot parachute which prevented the proper pull and deployment of the parachute. Deputy Cooper describes the lanyard as a part of the stash bag which is used to package the parachute once the jump is completed.

The Marion County Sheriff's Office would like to remind citizens there are no legal locations for base jumping within Marion County but there are websites that list legal options for base jumping online.