UPDATE: The Inyo County Coroner on Thursday identified the man who died as 71-year-old Steve Curry of Los Angeles.
Inyo County Sheriff's Department provided additional details:
Curry collapsed shortly after 3:30 p.m. outside the restroom at Golden Canyon amid temperatures that had soared to 121°F. Hours earlier, Curry had been interviewed at Zabriskie Point by a reporter with the Los Angeles Times. He was photographed slathered in sunscreen, huddled beneath a metal interpretive sign that afforded a small amount of shade. According to the article, he had hiked there from Golden Canyon – a distance of about two miles. At some point, Curry left the popular tourist destination and hiked back to the Golden Canyon trailhead, where he had left his car.
Other park visitors near the restroom noticed Curry and were able to use their cell phone to call 911 for assistance at 3:40 pm. National Park Service and Inyo County Sheriff’s Office responded. Mercy Air’s helicopter was not able to respond due to the high temperature. Park rangers arrived at 3:47. They did CPR and used an automated external defibrillator (AED) but were not able to save the man.
The Inyo County Coroner’s Office has not yet determined Curry’s cause of death. However, park rangers suspect heat was a factor.
ORIGINAL REPORT: A man died at a trailhead in Death Valley National Park on Tuesday afternoon as temperatures reached up to 121 degrees.
The National Park Service believes the 71-year-old California man had been hiking the popular trail at Golden Canyon before he collapsed outside the restroom.
Other park visitors called 911 for assistance and Inyo County Sheriff’s Office responded. Medical helicopter service was unable to respond due to the high temperature.
Park rangers performed CPR but were not able to save the man.
The Inyo County Coroner’s Office has not yet determined the man’s cause of death. However, park rangers suspect heat was a factor.
This is possibly the second heat-related fatality in Death Valley this summer after a 65-year-old man died on July 3.
"Classic signs of heat stroke include throbbing headache; dizziness and light-headedness; lack of sweating despite the heat; red, hot, and dry skin; muscle weakness or cramps; nausea and vomiting; rapid heartbeat (either strong or weak); rapid, shallow breathing; behavioral changes such as confusion, disorientation, or staggering; seizures; and unconsciousness. Seek immediate medical help if heat stroke is suspected," park officials said in a news release.
