Oregon College Student Michelle Casey Falls 100 Feet And Dies While Taking Photos

A 21-year-old woman who attended Oregon State University died on Sunday after falling to her death while taking photographs with her boyfriend on a cliff.

The two were on the Oregon Coast and visiting a highway viewpoint area when the tragedy occurred. Michelle Casey dropped 100 feet after slipping and falling over a retaining wall and landed in a tree, reports the Tillamook County Sheriff's office in a press release.

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The incident took place at 10:16 a.m. It took over two hours to pull her body from the tree. When she was rescued, Casey was “unconscious but breathing," authorities reported, according to Idaho Statesman.

Casey was transferred to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries and later died. Her family made a statement following her death, and said, in part, reports Portland NBC affiliate KGW, "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."

The family continued, "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."