The family of a 32-year-old climber who died in 2017 after falling hundreds of feet down Mount Hood and then waiting hours for a helicopter rescue has settled a lawsuit against Clackamas County for $25,000.

The family of John Thornton Jenkins had originally sought $10 million -- faulting the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office and Clackamas County 911 for a series of missteps that the family’s lawsuit says contributed to a more than four-hour wait before Jenkins was rescued off the mountain.

The suit had been scheduled to start trial Tuesday in Clackamas County Circuit Court, but a settlement was reached in recent weeks.

Clackamas County Sheriff Craig Roberts told The Oregonian/OregonLive in a written statement this week that he hadn’t wanted the county to settle even if it was for “a nominal sum to avoid the costs of litigation.”

“Death is an inherent risk any climber takes, especially in an environment as dangerous as Mt. Hood,” Roberts wrote. “I was surprised and deeply disappointed to be sued by the deceased’s family after our search and rescue teams made every effort to save Mr. Jenkins' life. Tragedy can happen without fault.”

Roberts said the settlement “sets a troubling precedent for all Sheriff’s Offices required by law to conduct search-and-rescue operations in their counties.”

Roberts offered his condolences to Jenkins’ family.

The county, through its spokesman, also offered condolences.

“This was a tragic accident and a reminder of the dangers of climbing Mount Hood or any of our iconic Cascade peaks,” said county spokesman Tim Heider.

Jenkins, an experienced climber, tumbled about 600 feet from the area near the mountain’s summit at about 10:40 a.m. on May 7, 2017, according to the lawsuit and news reports at the time.

The lawsuit states that eight minutes later, another climber reached Jenkins and called 911 for help, but an Oregon Army National Guard Black Hawk helicopter didn’t arrive until 3:11 p.m. As rescuers tried to secure Jenkins in a basket to lift him off the mountain, he stopped breathing, lost his pulse and ultimately was pronounced dead at Legacy Emanuel Medical Center in Portland, according to the suit and news reports.

The lawsuit described an alleged bungled response to repeat calls for help -- stating that the first 911 caller was transferred by a dispatcher to the Sheriff’s Office, which told the caller to contact Timberline’s ski patrol. That’s even after being told Jenkins wasn’t a skier and had fallen outside the ski area, according to the lawsuit.

The ski patrol called the county’s 911 center, which again transferred the call to the sheriff’s office, the suit states.

The helicopter was requested about 1 hour and 40 minutes after the initial 911 call, and arrived 2 hours and 40 minutes later, according to a timeline laid out in the lawsuit.

At approximately 11,239 feet, Mount Hood is Oregon’s most attempted climbing peak.

The Oregonian/OregonLive wrote extensively about the fall and rescue attempt.

Under the terms of the settlement, the county will make a $5,000 donation to Portland Mountain Rescue, a volunteer nonprofit search-and-rescue organization that responded to Jenkins’ fall. A team leader from the organization was by Jenkins’ side as he was loaded into the helicopter.

The settlement agreement also calls for more training and refined communication procedures for the county’s emergency responders. Among those changes:

-- Sometime in the next year, the sheriff’s office will hold a mountain search-and-rescue training conference dedicated to the memory of Jenkins. The conference will train the county’s team members, along with other groups that respond to calls for rescue on Mount Hood.

-- Search and rescue coordinators with the sheriff’s office shall be “promptly notified” of all search and rescue calls for help in their service area.

-- County officials will meet with the Oregon Office of Emergency Management, Portland Mountain Rescue, Timberline ski patrol and other groups to make sure everyone is familiar with “best practices” for requesting helicopter rescues on the mountain.

-- The county will create a plaque in memory of Jenkins and place it somewhere on county property.

Jenkins lived in Mukilteo, just north of Seattle. He is survived by his two parents, who live in Kansas.

Jane Paulson, the Portland attorney representing Jenkins’ estate, said Jenkins’ family sued to determine what caused the delays and to prompt changes in the system.

“This case has never been about money for the family,” Paulson said in an email. “Now that the county has agreed to make the necessary changes regarding how search and rescue operations are conducted, the family’s goal of making Mt. Hood safer for others is complete and is the best method for the family to honor the memory of their son.”

-- Aimee Green

agreen@oregonian.com

o_aimee

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