The most fundamental mistake the Kims made was not having taken seriously enough the dangers involved in driving through unfamiliar mountains in snowy weather after nightfall. They're lucky only James died.
The most fundamental mistake the Kim's made was relying on local LE to ensure their safety. The road they took was supposed to have been gated and locked. The lock was vandalized. If LE knew this - that is negligence period.
You cannot blame the Kim's for making mistakes based on bad information - it happens to all of us on a daily basis.
Of course they made an error but they weren't trying to take chances from other things I've read. They didn't plan on taking the road they ended up on. In fact that road was supposed to be blocked by a gate but vandals broke the lock and the gate was wide open so they probably didn't see the gate so it didn't look like a closed road. They thought they were on a well traveled road, or at least not on a closed road. It's easy to lay blame and pass judgement.
It is a tragic story, and yet not uncommon. My brother died in a similar accident. Having lived in the eastern Sierras (at 8000') for a number of years, I have to say -- I never knew about WEATHER. Cold, snow, ice, wind -- they are all huge forces that city people are protected from and do not understand. I walked home one evening in a blizzard -- maybe 1/2 mile at the most -- and wondered if I would make it.
This is such a sad story and yet, within it, there are such great heroes. The man who was reminded of his own granddaughters/ the cell phone guy who insisted that someone listen / the searchers -- what great heroes.
That family should be very proud of their husband/ son, who made a superhuman effort to get help. My heart goes out to them.
Makes me think that there should be a person who listens to every tip, every bit of input that comes in. The man from the lodge saw the prints and nobody listened. The misunderstanding that he had cleared the road.
Plus the cell phone records of piings would have been invaluable.
Plus when driving thru mountains, you ought to check in with somebody every day.
So sad,,he almost made it if he had stayed put.
The owner of that lodge that said he cleared the road certainly should be in trouble. The guy was covering up for the fact that a road on his property that should have been clearly marked as dangerous was not.
"mistake the Kims made was not having taken seriously enough the dangers involved in driving through unfamiliar mountains in snowy weather after nightfall."
I once followed a "Shortcut" displayed by Mapquest near Breckenridge, and ended up on a dead end at 11,000 feet.
The road had been closed and turned into a trail years ago, but Mapquest still showed it as an active road....