A Vernal man died early Wednesday after falling more than 75 feet into a riverbed, police said.

Daniel Roberto Cruz, 45, was sitting on a concrete barrier on the White River Bridge, drinking alcohol and talking to a friend, said Uintah County sheriff's Cpl. Brian Fletcher. Shortly before 2 a.m., the friend looked over and Cruz was gone.

Uintah County sheriff's deputies arrived at the bridge about 39 miles southeast of Vernal and soon learned Cruz had slipped and fallen into a dry section of the riverbed.

Ambulance crews from nearby Deseret Generation Power were unable to revive him.

Originally from Brownsville, Texas, Cruz moved to Vernal about two years ago to work for an oil field company. Foul play is not suspected.


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