Fall, head trauma killed Russian hiker

MOOSE, Wyo. (AP) — Authorities say a 20-year-old Russian man found dead in Grand Teton National Park died of blunt force trauma from a fall.

The Teton County coroner ruled the death of Aleksandr “Sasha” Sagiev of Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, as an accident, the Jackson Hole News & Guide (http://bit.ly/1qE5Ip3 ) reported Thursday.

Sagiev’s body was found Aug. 22 below a steep traverse, known as Cache Couloir, in Glacier Gulch. His personal belongings were found scattered along the trail, leading to the conclusion that he fell and then slid from the trail and down the steep slope, coroner Kiley Campbell said.

“It is the opinion of us and the pathologist that he died immediately after the blow,” Campbell said.

Sagiev was a summer worker at Dornan’s, a privately owned resort inside the park near the park’s headquarters.

He was reported missing Aug. 18 after failing to show up for work. At first the search centered around the resort and the nearby Snake River but shifted to hiking trails in heavy rain after rangers learned Sagiev planned to hike from the Taggart Lake trailhead.

Authorities say that when Sagiev was found, he was wearing the metallic blue “Sochi” jacket that he was last seen wearing at Dornan’s. The jacket helped in locating his body in the rocky terrain.

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Information from: Jackson Hole (Wyo.) News And Guide, http://www.jhnewsandguide.com

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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