A 45-year-old Vernal man died after falling more than 75 feet from a bridge early Wednesday morning, according to the Uintah County Sheriff's Department.

Just before 2 a.m. on Wednesday, sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to the White River Bridge, 39 miles southeast of Vernal, on the report of a missing person. Upon arrival, deputies learned that the missing individual, Daniel Roberto Cruz, had been found at the bottom of a river bed. Ambulance crews attempted to help Cruz, without success. A short time later he was pronounced dead on the scene, a sheriff's department report states.

During the investigation, deputies learned that Cruz had been sitting on a concrete barrier on the bridge and talking to a friend when the accident occurred. When his friend looked over where Cruz had been sitting, he was gone. Cruz fell more than 75 feet, landing in the river bed. Deputies believe alcohol was a factor in this accident, the report states.

Cruz is originally from Brownsville, Texas, but had been living in the Vernal area over the past two years while working for a local oilfield company.