A man died in Death Valley National Park in California from heat exposure in triple-digit temperatures.
According to the National Park Service (NPS), 57-year-old Peter Hayes Robino of Los Angeles drove his car off a 20-foot embankment on August 1.
Passersby reported to local authorities that they saw Robino stumbling toward his car before the incident. Park officials said the witnesses offered to help him, but he refused. They said his answers didn’t make sense.
Robino then got into his car and drove down a six-meter-high, steep embankment at the edge of the parking lot.
The car overturned and the airbags deployed, the NPS said.
A passerby who witnessed the incident immediately called 911, and another went down the embankment and helped Robino out of the crashed vehicle.
NPS rescue crews received the emergency call at 3:50 p.m. and arrived at 4:10 p.m.
Bystanders said Robino was breathing until shortly before park rangers arrived.
NPS paramedics began CPR and transferred Robino to the air-conditioned ambulance. At 4:42 a.m., Robino was pronounced dead.
A subsequent autopsy by the Inyo County Coroner revealed that Robino died of hyperthermia.
Symptoms of overheating may include confusion, irritability, and lack of coordination.
According to the NPS, the temperature in the national park was 48°C that afternoon.
“My condolences go out to Mr Robino’s family and friends,” said Superintendent Mike Reynolds, one of the paramedics who responded to the incident. “His death is a reminder not to underestimate the dangers of extreme heat.”
According to the park administration, this was the second heat-related death this summer in Death Valley National Park.
Symptoms of overheating include confusion, irritability and lack of coordination.
Park rangers in Death Valley National Park advise summer visitors to:
- Avoid the heat by staying in or near an air conditioner,
- Do not hike at low altitudes after 10 a.m.
- Drink plenty of water and
- Eat salty snacks.
