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A California man who was disorientated from the scorching temperatures collapsed and died of heat exposure after crashing his car near a trailhead in Death Valley.
Peter Hayes Robino, of Los Angeles County, became the National Park’s second heat fatality this summer.
Officials say that on August 1 the 57-year-old was seen stumbling while returning from a one-mile round trip Natural Bridge Trail in 119-degree heat, according to a news release from the National Park Service.
Bystanders tried to help the man, but he declined their offers and his responses did not make sense. The man got in his car and drove off a 20-foot embankment at the edge of the parking lot.
The car rolled over and the airbags deployed. Bystanders helped Robino walk back to the parking lot and put the man in a shaded area as one bystander left to call 911.
Emergency responders received the 911 call around 3.50pm and arrived at 4.10pm.
People at the scene said Robino was breathing until just before the park’s rangers arrived. Authorities began CPR and moved Robino into an air-conditioned ambulance. Despite their efforts, the man was declared deceased at 4.42pm.
Robino’s cause of death was hyperthermia, according to the Inyo County Coroner.
“My condolences go out to Mr Robino’s family and friends,” Superintendent Mike Reynolds, one of the first EMT’s that responded, said. “His death serves as a reminder not to underestimate the dangers of extreme heat.”
Symptoms of overheating include confusion, irritability and lack of coordination.
“Anyone wishing to visit Death Valley National Park in the summer should avoid the heat by staying in or near air-conditioning, not hike after 10am at low elevations, drink plenty of water and eat salty snacks.”
In July, another park visitor died from heat exposure near Badwater Basin, an endorheic basin in the park. Emergency helicopters could not respond due to the extreme heat that day, which reached 128 degrees. Helicopters cannot fly over 115 degrees.
The man, who was part of a group of six men visiting from Germany, was declared dead at the scene.
