Posted on 08/23/2026 7:15:36 PM PDT by BenLurkin
A 68-year-old tourist from France died after he and a traveling companion became stranded on a remote road in Death Valley National Park, one of the hottest places on Earth during the summer months.
Pierre Michel Formosa and his companion, also from France, were traveling along West Side Road on Monday, Aug. 17, when their vehicle became stuck in mud near Queen of Sheba Mine Road, according to a news release from the National Park Service.
With no other vehicles nearby, the two men left their vehicle and began walking across the salt flats toward Badwater Road in search of help.
Temperatures in Death Valley reached 116 degrees that day, park officials said.
After walking about 1.3 miles, Formosa was unable to continue, authorities said. His companion continued toward Badwater Road, where he eventually encountered a passing motorist who offered assistance.
Formosa’s companion reported the incident at the Furnace Creek Visitor Center shortly after 2 p.m., prompting National Park Service rangers and an Inyo County sheriff’s deputy to launch a search-and-rescue operation around 2:13 p.m.
A California Highway Patrol helicopter later joined the search and located Formosa that afternoon approximately 1.5 miles from Badwater Road.
He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Inyo County coroner will determine the exact cause and manner of death.
(Excerpt) Read more at ktla.com ...
Been there its not a place to take lightly
Terrible decision.
Why were they going out that way?!
Obviously didn’t pack enough beers in the cooler
Even a young healthy guy who doesn’t know the desert is going to be shocked at the effects of 20 or 30 minutes of walking in those temps, if a 68 year old guy started out dehydrated or had health problems, that walk and then remaining in the sun for a while, could trigger his death.
Tourons!
[...coroner will determine the exact cause and manner of death.]
I guess they’re not allowed to put stupidity.
It’s named Death Valley for a reason.
One could survive in the shade of a car, —or underneath it— for a long while.
Been there its not a place to take lightly
***************************************
40+ years in deserts. A few every year die.
Stupid/ignorant takes its toll.
Just out of curiosity, before falling asleep around 10pm last night I checked the temperature in death valley - 106F. That’s at 10 PM!
I visited Death Valley in the summer of 1990 and stayed at the main hotel there. Amazingly, almost every guest beside myself was German, and I also met one from England.
Rainy day at the Queen of Sheba Mine
Too bad the tourists were so unprepared. From heat to flash floods and sometimes even other people, the Mojave can be unforgiving.
When I went, there was a little booklet/folder that was about tips for Death Valley driving. The cover drawing was 4 skeletons driving/riding in a convertible. That left an impression.
The sun hits like a hammer. It is insanely hot.
“Don’t try to fight it. The best you can do with the desert is just try to get along with it” Some old desert rat advice
These days, if you're driving on a good road in a well-maintained car, you have nothing to fear driving across Death Valley. If you have lots of extra water and something to make shade, you would last quite a while even if you got stranded. If you're unprepared and go putzing around on "remote roads" and drive into mud flats you're just asking for it. Being 68 years old (like me) surely decreases the odds for your survivability in that environment (take it from me, I live in the Phoenix area). People die around here every summer by going out unprepared in places they shouldn't be.
It is still 99 in urban squalor in Dallas at 10:00 PM tonight. 91 at my place.
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