Posted on 12/17/2006 6:23:57 AM PST by surfer
Searchers failed to exploit vital clues in the hunt for the family of James Kim, including several crucial pieces of evidence that surfaced in the final hours of his life, when he was freezing, alone and lost in the woods.
An examination by The Oregonian found a search plagued by confusion, gaps in communication, and failures of leadership in Josephine County, where the Kim family was found.
Lt. Brian Powers, the Oregon State Police commander in the region, said the lack of a central command prompted him to take control Sunday, Dec. 3, the day before Kati Kim and her two daughters were found alive. At the time, the search was sprawling over four counties, each with legal authority to conduct its own operations.
"I knew we had information gaps that weren't being filled, and I just felt like the Oregon State Police could provide something to that effort to make sure that family gets found," Powers said. "If that effort meant knocking down some jurisdictional lines . . . I guess that is what it was."
In the end, the family was found by a volunteer pilot, one of several key breakthroughs achieved by people not connected to the official search. The confirmation that the family was south of Roseburg came from a citizen tipster; and the cell phone evidence narrowing the search was provided by amateur detectives at an Oregon wireless carrier.
Many of the key missteps came in Josephine County. The search-and-rescue coordinator now acknowledges she was overwhelmed by the demands of the search. She failed to call for help from the National Guard, which meant that heat-detecting helicopters stayed on the ground in the crucial two nights James Kim slept in the forest. ...
(Excerpt) Read more at oregonlive.com ...
The way I heard it he missed the Roseburg cutoff and then found that road on a map and mistakenly thought it was passable. Should have stopped at a gas station and asked, they would have warned him about that nightmare road.
more info in post (75)
Well, if I was going to try a small road I know nothing about I would certainly gas up and ask questions. It would have saved his life.
If he was in a strange area in the middle of a storm why wouldn't you naturally go the safest way. I have gone from Roseburg to Gold Beach hundreds of times and would never consider that road. If he was driving that late at night why would he try a questionable pass??
Too bad you weren't in charge of SAR then Kim would still be alive! And yes I am putting the blame on Kim since he is 99% of the reason he died.
Pray for W and Our Troops
Well, if I was going to try a small road I know nothing about I would certainly gas up and ask questions. It would have saved his life.
If he was in a strange area in the middle of a storm why wouldn't you naturally go the safest way. I have gone from Roseburg to Gold Beach hundreds of times and would never consider that road. If he was driving that late at night why would he try a questionable pass??
Nobody could have done a better job than Sara R...you have it all figured out Bray...
They actually showed a piece of the cut lock on TV. So who's telling the truth??
Oh, Brother. Here we go.
The 6 stages of any project:
1 Enthusiasm
2 Disillusionment
3 Panic
4 Search for the guilty
5 Punishment of the innocent
6 Reward of the non-participants
The lock was a damaged lock and I believe it was shown on CNN. The CNN coverage was after the Kim's car was removed from the area - they are saying the towing vehicle hit and damaged the gate and lock upon leaving the area...
but who knows...
Well said. Can't we all agree that the SAR effort was less than ideal? But to then suggest it was the proximate cause of Mr Kim's death is a little too much. A lot of FReepers espouse the concept that a conservative ideal is to be responsible for your own safety. The police, firemen, DHS or local SAR people, God bless 'em all, can only do so much. At the end of the day, it's up to you, not some faceless bureaucrat.
Why don't you send an email to Peter Sleeth at the Oregonian and ask him about that? I think you will be quite surprised at his response. They have so much more to report but only had some much space to do it in.
As comparison look at the Mount Hood operation - perfectly organized, executed, etc...SAR is kicking major league butt up there in impossible conditions. I am sure the families of the climbers are happy Sara R. isn't on the ground up there coordinating.
I was lost in down town hollywood one time it was realy annoying.
But, Kim wasn't lost he had a clear trail (road) going back the way he came. Even nine days later when he decided to finaly take the road back the way he came he didn't stick to it and took a deadly path down a canyon instead.
Resue efforts are only efforts. The rescue efforter has no responsibiltiy to expect to be successful. The have a right to say "I won't do that if it endangers there own life or physical or mental well being".
Sure. A rhetorical question to Peter Sleeth, woodbutcher, Mt. Hood SAR and you. "Would Mr. Kim have died if anyone of you had been in charge?"
Like I said...
Nobody could do a better job than Sara R.
statistics are so misleading. I never run into foriegners from out of state unless there being carefully shaperoned by experienced oregon guides. since Oregon mountain men are in the woods 100% of the time and foriegners are in the woods 2% of the time clearly an occasinal lost Mountain man will scew the statistics to make it look like city people are absolutly brilliant woodsman.
These heat seeking helocopters are comic. They are way overrated. with in 5 miles sq of the kims there would be an easy 200+ animals giveing off just as much heat as the kims. Unless, the kims have a fire even then figure two or three still smoldering slash piles left over from logging operations. Rescuers are looking for a needle in a hay stack.
Do you know about the little boy lost at crater lake its realy sad.
I like Sara R. her honesty is refreshing.
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