Officials: Man dies at Point Defiance trying to escape tide coming in

TACOMA, Wash. - A 42-year-old man was killed after trying to escape the tide coming in at Point Defiance Park on Sunday.

According to police, a woman and her husband were walking on the beach under the Dalco Passage viewpoint around 4:11 p.m. when the tide started coming in. The pair became separated.

The woman went back to her vehicle and had planned to meet her husband on the road above. When he did not appear, she called 911 for help, as did a community member.

The man's body was recovered around 4:30 p.m. According to Metro Parks Tacoma, initial reports indicate that he died of severe trauma from a fall of approximately 200 feet.

The medical examiner's office will officially determine a cause of death.

Metro Parks Tacoma said in a statement, in part: 

"As we all know, Point Defiance is an incredibly dynamic landscape that is constantly changing. The cliffs above the shoreline are steep and unstable. Incoming tides can cut off the beach.  Metro Parks maintenance staff are constantly surveying the slope edges around Point Defiance Park, often moving or installing new fencing, barriers and signs that alert users to the inherent dangers found in the vicinity of these slopes.

"Unfortunately, park visitors still make attempts to scale those cliffs. Fortunately, the vast majority of these occurrences end with visitors receiving rescue service from emergency responders, but this was not the case yesterday.

"We offer our deepest condolences for the loss of life for this family, their friends and for our community. And we urgently ask all visitors to Point Defiance to observe all posted signs and fences, to consult tide tables when visiting beaches, and especially never to climb the unpredictable slopes above the shoreline. If in trouble, call 911."