Crime & Safety

UPDATE: Hikers from Pacheco Pass Fall Identified

The deceased man from Sunday's hiking accident has been identified as Hollister resident Travis Bermudes, 22, and the survivor has been identified at James (Cody) Martin III of Hollister.

The deceased Hollister man from has been identified as 22-year-old Travis Bermudes, according to the Santa Clara County medical examiner's office.

The man hiking with Bermudes who survived the fall was identified Tuesday as James (Cody) Martin III, according to a media release from Sgt. Jose Cardoza of the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office.

Sheriff's deputies were dispatched to the 14000 block of Pacheco Pass Highway around 4:30 p.m. Sunday, after they received a report of two fallen hikers. Martin had walked to a nearby property to report the incident, but was unable tell officers how the fall occurred because he was drifting in and out of consciousness, Cardoza said.

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By Tuesday, Martin was in stable enough condition to be interviewed by detectives, who learned that the hikers had climbed to the top of Lovers Leap cliff to practice rappelling, but subsequently fell when they attempted to recover lost equipment.

"While at the top of the cliff, both hikers lost pertinent equipment they needed to safely rappel from the top," Cardoza states. "Martin and Bermudes attempted to retrieve their equipment and lost their footing, causing them to fall from the cliff."

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Bermudes was pronounced deceased at the scene by paramedics, and Martin was transferred to a Bay Area hospital for non-life threatening injuries.

Martin is in stable condition and is expected to survive from his injuries, Cardoza wrote.


—The Bay City News contributed to this report.

 


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