Authorities confirmed Monday that a 57-year-old man died from heat exhaustion after a hike in Death Valley National Park, the second heat-related death in the area this summer.
Peter Hayes Lovino, of Los Angeles County, was taking a one-mile circular walk on Aug. 1 when his vehicle was pulled down a steep slope, the National Park Service said in a statement.
The local temperature that day reached 119 degrees Fahrenheit. Temperatures in the area have reached as high as 130 degrees Fahrenheit this year, drawing tourists eager to experience the hottest place in America but prompting repeated warnings from park and health officials.
According to the National Park Service, Lovino completed the one-mile Natural Bridge Trail, which was described as “easy but very rocky.”
Witnesses saw him staggering after finishing a walk and offered to help, but he refused and his responses were incomprehensible, the National Park Service said.
He then got into his car and drove it down a 20-foot embankment at the edge of the parking lot just before 3:50 p.m. Photos of the badly damaged car released by the National Park Service show that the airbags deployed upon impact.
Mr Lovino was able to escape on foot and was carried to a shady area by passers-by. He was still breathing when emergency services arrived at 4:10pm, but despite receiving CPR and being moved to an air-conditioned ambulance, he was pronounced dead at 4:42pm.
An autopsy determined that his cause of death was hyperthermia, symptoms of which include confusion, irritability, and loss of coordination.
“Our condolences go to Mr Lovino’s family and friends,” said Superintendent Mike Reynolds, the emergency services officer called to the scene. “His death serves as a lesson in never underestimating the dangers of extreme heat.”
In July, a motorcyclist in Death Valley was confirmed dead from suspected heatstroke, and another was hospitalized with severe heatstroke. Another tourist was treated at a local hospital last month for third-degree burns to his legs on Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes, also in the national park.
Park rangers at Death Valley National Park are advising visitors to stay in or near air-conditioned rooms whenever possible, avoid hiking at lower elevations after 10 a.m., drink plenty of water and avoid salty snacks.
