Man falls to death

Photo: Google Maps

A map of the area where the man was found.

Update July 24

The 67-year-old Cawston man has been identified as Rodolph Joseph Ernest Legault.

Update July 14

A 67-year-old Cawston man has been identified as the person who died near Big White after falling down a cliff Sunday afternoon.

His name is being withheld pending notification of next of kin, but the Kelowna RCMP say the man was with several friends at the time of his death.

“The man's Jeep was parked on a narrow roadway when it started to roll towards a cliff," says RCMP spokesperson Kris Clark.

"When the man attempted to stop his vehicle from going over the embankment, he fell approximately 50 metres while the Jeep continued for 30 more. The man suffered fatal injuries and his body was recovered by Big White Fire Department personnel.”

No one else was injured in the incident.

The Kelowna RCMP continues to assist the BC Coroners Service in the investigation.

Original Story July 13

A man fell to his death off a forest service road near Big White Sunday afternoon.

Cst Justin Walton with the Kelowna RCMP said they were called to the scene around 2 p.m.

"A vehicle had gone over a cliffside and rolled down an embankment," he said.

A 67-year-old man was out for a recreational drive with friends when they stopped to take in the scenery.

The man parked too close to the edge and it appeared there may have been a partial failure with the parking brake in his Jeep. The vehicle began to slip and when he jumped back in to save the vehicle, fell 80 metres with it down the embankment. 

He was alone in the vehicle and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Drugs and alcohol were not considered to be a factor and there is no suspicion of criminal wrongdoing.

The Big White Fire Department spent several hours extracting the man from the vehicle which came to rest on a steep grade. 

Walton said, "they did fantastic work."