New York man identified as hiker who died after falling on Idyllwild trail
The Riverside County Coroner's office has released the identity of a hiker who died while on the S. Ridge Trail in Idyllwild over the weekend.
Patrick Comstock, 38, of Rockway, New York, was pronounced dead Saturday afternoon after falling on the trail.
CAL FIRE officials said a Riverside County sheriff's helicopter rescue team was dispatched to Comstock's location. The team reported he died at the scene.
There were no additional details on the fall. The Riverside County Sheriff's Department - Hemet station is handling the investigation into Comstock's death.
Comstock is the second New York man who died on a local trail in the past month.
On Jan. 20, a 24-year-old Brooklyn man was found dead on the Bear Creek Trail in La Quinta. The Sheriff's Dept. confirmed Doggett's injuries were consistent with a fall.
Details: 24-year-old New York man found dead after falling during a hike in La Quinta
There have also been several rescues recently on local trails.
On Thursday, a state park ranger fell 100ft into a ravine while attempting to rescue to hikers who were left stranded on Skyline Trail, near the Palm Springs Tram. The hikers and an additional state park ranger ended up stranded on the trail for several hours due to icy conditions.
The hikers and the ranger were eventually brought down. The ranger who fell suffered minor injuries.
On Saturday, rescue crews were back to that same trail to rescue three more hikers who were left ended up trapped on the trail because of snow and ice conditions.
The trail has since been closed due to the dangerous conditions.
Mt. San Jacinto chief ranger Mike Dippel spoke with News Channel 3's Marian Bouchot on Saturday to share tips for people getting ready to hike on local mountain trails.
