A beloved rugby player who’d moved from the Midwest to work as a nurse in Northern California died in what has been described as a horrific freak accident.
Bjorn “Bear” Miller, 37, from Yukon, Oklahoma, is believed to have stumbled and fallen from the cliffs at a picturesque spot as he left his car to watch the sunset in Bayview Road, Fort Bragg.
First responders found Miller’s body sprawled on rocks near the waterline, roughly 70 feet below a steep cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean at about 8.30am in the morning, with his car parked nearby.
Authorities said his injuries were consistent with a significant fall.
His body was discovered by Josh Brown and his young son, who initially didn’t realize what they’d stumbled across.
Millar may have parked his Jeep too close to the edge in an area without a guardrail for protection, Brown told the The Mendocino Coast News.
“I think he might have thought there was more room at the edge, got out, and walked around to the passenger side of his door. I believe that’s when he fell. He probably knocked himself unconscious, and if the tide was high, that might have been enough to kill him,” Brown told the outlet.
Miller’s brother, Kelton, said police had told the family he was the victim of a freak accident, he told KOKO News.
”We believe, based on speaking with the sheriffs and based on what I’ve seen of pictures and the area, that he had just out and walked around and fallen off,” his brother Kelton Miller told the outlet.
Miller had been working as a traveling nurse in California before he died.
In Oklahoma, the rugby community has felt his loss deeply, as he was an important part of the team both on and off the field.
Friends and family recall Miller’s influence extended beyond the game, stepping in wherever needed.
“He always put other people’s needs above his own,” added Kelton.
“Whether he was coaching, playing—he was the guy who would be the medic, the referee,” said Brendan Berry, a friend of Bjorn.
A GoFundMe campaign launched to honor his life and legacy and pay for his funeral remembered him as a ”fiercely loyal teammate and larger-than-life presence who treated everyone like family, often hosting friends and relatives for meals and bringing laughter wherever he went.”
“Bjorn ‘Bear’ Miller was more than a son, a brother, and a teammate—he was a protector, a healer, a leader, and a true cornerstone of his community,” the page reads.
“As one of the best props to ever play the game, he carried not only strength but heart, grit, and pride every time he stepped onto the field. Off the field, he was just as powerful—lifting people up, bringing laughter into every space, and making everyone feel seen, valued, and at home.”
Plans are underway for a memorial rugby match in his honor, with an open invitation extended to the entire community.
“Anybody and everybody is invited. That is 100% the way Bear would like it. If you’ve never played rugby before or you have played, you are more than welcome to come out.
‘It’s one of those events where we just want people to come together,” Berry said.
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