Posted on 08/07/2009 10:04:35 PM PDT by Steelfish
Heat kills boy, 11, lost with his mother in Death Valley
The two were stranded for days in a remote area. The child's mother is being treated for severe dehydration.
Associated Press August 7, 2009
An 11-year-old boy died in the intense heat of Death Valley National Park after he and his mother became stranded and survived for several days on bottled water, Pop-Tarts and cheese sandwiches, authorities said Friday.
Alicia Sanchez, 28, of Las Vegas was found severely dehydrated and remained hospitalized in that city a day after being found with her dead son, her dog and a Jeep Cherokee buried up to its axles in sand.
She told rescuers in San Bernardino County that her son Carlos died Wednesday, days after she fixed a flat tire and continued into Death Valley, relying on directions from a GPS device in the vehicle.
"It's in about as remote and isolated an area as you can find," Death Valley National Park Chief Ranger Brent Pennington said. "How she got to that point, I don't know."
Pennington said Sanchez was found by a ranger who followed tire tracks off a dirt road into the Owlshead Mountains near the China Lake Naval Air Station, just inside the southwest corner of the vast national park near the California- Nevada state line.
Summer temperatures commonly run above 120 degrees in Death Valley, with the average daytime August temperature about 113. The high Tuesday and Wednesday was 111, with a low of 96 early Tuesday.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
I don't get it.
Prayers for the son and entire family.
[cynic] How much do you want to bet they blame this on global warming? [/cynic]
But, no you’re right... prayers for a good recovery.
Completely crazy and irresponsible! Was she looking for a meth lab?
Those GPS aren’t all that reliable.
Why were they there? Is a good question.
Traveled and hike on numerous occasions in DV (on dirt and paved roads), but NOT during the summer. Even if we did, we’d be prepared. Also, we always carry maps. The GPS isn’t always accurate, especially if you fail to read it correctly.
We had an accident here in Germany last month. An American had come over...rented a van...and was driving the family around the country, with a GPS as his map. Down in Stuttgart, the GPS eventually told him to turn onto a ramp and proceed on the autobahn. The map in the device was two years old and made when construction was underway. He barely made it half a mile before hitting another vehicle in oncoming traffic.
GPS devices are not reliable.
Prayers for the mother & her deceased son.
This is a tragic story and the outcome was entirely preventable.
The GPS may well have shown where she went as a “Jeep Trail.” Since she had a Jeep she went there. Unfortuantely said Jeep did not have proper equipment.
A few years back someone found a vehicle in a wash in a remote area of Death Valley. The car had been rented to a family visiting from Germany. They never found the family. My guess is that they broke down and were not prepared for the summer heat. Left the vehicle to seek help, and died of dehydration. Sad.
Yes, mapping programs come with standard boilerplate warning to observe the correct direction on one way streets :-)
I wonder if in this day and age a CB radio would still make sense. It can get out much further than a cell phone.
Not what was she doing out there in that heat becuase a lot of people drive through Death Valley in the summer. It was getting off the main road that was foolish. Stay on the main roads and a car will eventually pass.
It hardly matters what kind of equipment the Jeep had. Any vehicle can malfunction. Driving into an unpopulated area with 120 degree heat is just nuts, unless you’re with a group that has multiple vehicles, or you’ve got a satellite phone. There have been stories like this with snowy/freezing weather too. These people seem to pay no attention to the signal indicators on their cell phones, or else they just stupidly proceed even after seeing they’ve lost signal. If a situation is one you can’t walk out of, and from which you can’t call for help, don’t drive there!
GPS’ are not a replacement for common sense and still paying attention to the roads. They are an electronic map with the ability to pin point your location. They are still incredibly helpful.
She had a flat tire and later became stuck in sand. I wouldn't blame that on the GPS.
She had no concept of the water that they needed, those three gallons were not enough for a single sunup to sundown period for two people.She should have bought two more cases just to be comfortable and safe for the overnight camping trip, and to go into that area with not enough extra water for a three day survival emergency was just absolute ignorance.
When I simply drive through the desert on the interstate I won’t move without at least three gallons of water in reserve and a little pack to carry it in, in case I have to hitchhike or walk after an auto break down. I also carry a Sunbuster umbrella in case of breakdown and a forced walk.
She was four-wheeling and hit a coyote den. The ground gave way and she was stuck. RULE #1 DON’T GO FOUR-WHEELING ALONE IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE WITH CHILD.
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