College student dies after falling from cliff while taking photos: 'She loved being outdoors'
A “bubbly” college student in Oregon died on Sunday after falling off a cliff while taking photos.
According to Portland, Oregon, news station KOIN, Michelle Casey, 21, a junior at Oregon State University fell off Neahkahnie Mountain Viewpoint, a tourist spot for hiking along the state’s coastline. Casey had been taking photos with her boyfriend on Sunday when she slipped, falling 100 feet.
A press release sent to Yahoo Lifestyle from the Tillamook County Sheriff’s Office stated that a tree broke Casey’s fall before she could hit the ocean. Casey’s boyfriend called 911 and emergency responders found the student breathing but unconscious and with “serious injuries.” She was airlifted to Emanuel Hospital in Portland.
“As a university community, we mourn at the loss of a community member – and certainly one so young as Michelle,” Oregon State University spokesperson Steve Clark, tells Yahoo Lifestyle. “Michelle was an OSU junior majoring in kinesiology at our Corvallis campus. She was registered this term. At times of such a loss, we reach out to family members to offer our assistance and our sympathy. And we offer support for members of the OSU community, including students and faculty and staff, who may have known Michelle and are struggling with the news and impact of her passing….”
Casey’s Facebook bio reads, “I am a bubbly, friendly and dorky person who loves to make people smile.”
Casey’s friend Tyson Zagelow, who did not respond to an interview request from Yahoo Lifestyle, told KOIN, "I just want people to basically know that she's just the most loving person that I've probably ever known.”
The friends last spoke on Friday. "We just said hi and talked a little bit. I didn't hear from her from the weekend,” he said.
Zagelow said his friend was, "The type of person that you could be driving down the road and she'll make you roll down the windows and you'll be blaring a song, screaming it out loud."
Casey’s family also shared a statement with KOIN: "Michelle Casey was born in joy on Christmas Eve, 1997. From that moment, she was a gift to her family. She adored her family, cats and dogs. She loved being outdoors and was at the beach—her favorite place—on Sunday. Michelle always brought people together with her bubbly personality and loving, giving heart. Always active, she held a second-degree black belt in Tae kwon do, played volleyball and beach volleyball, and loved to work out. She loved singing in choir and her Starbucks customers as a barista in both Portland and Corvallis. As a sophomore at OSU, she was working toward a degree in kinesiology because she wanted to help people. Michelle had chosen to be an organ donor, a decision that saved two lives."
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