OHIOPYLE, Pa. — During their sixth day of searching, crews found no sign of the body of a 20-year-old man who fell into the river and over a waterfall at Ohiopyle State Park.
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Authorities in Fayette County said Michael Davila climbed over an observation deck railing at Ohiopyle State Park last Wednesday to have his picture taken but slipped on ice. He fell into the Youghiogheny River and went over the 20-foot Ohiopyle Falls below.
Officials said Davila was with a group of friends at the time of the fall, which is being treated as an accident.
"Just he and his friends were here visiting the Ohiopyle area, looking at the falls,” said park manager Kenneth Bisbee.
The initial call came in shortly after 11 a.m. Wednesday, prompting dozens of rescuers to begin searching the waters.
"We discovered his shoes about 45 minutes after he fell in,” said Bisbee.
Park assistant manager Stacie Hall said officials with the Army Corps of Engineers have lowered the water level of the river to assist in the search.
“In the summer, the elevation is between 1.8 and 2 feet. And right now, they're at 7.56 feet, so you're going to have a lot more water going over the falls,” said Bisbee.
The initial search was called off around 7 p.m. Wednesday. Crews had searched for six hours, but had only found his shoes.
The effort has been hampered by cold, rain and murky water conditions. The water temperature is about 38 degrees.
Some searchers are in kayaks, while others are walking along the river's banks. The number of searches dropped significantly Monday.
“(We had) upwards of 70 to 80 people on the first day. Today (we had) about 10 people on the river,” said Bisbee. “Unfortunately at this point, we are just waiting for him to show up.”
Davila’s friends said they saw him try to grab onto a rock and pull himself up, as the current swept him downstream.
"When he hit the water, it's so cold, you take an instant breath and take in water, and it makes it really hard to recover,” said Bisbee.
Bisbee said this isn’t the first incident in which someone has fallen into the river. For that reason, park rangers are urging visitors to stay behind the rails.
“People underestimate the power of moving water all the time,” said Bisbee.