California man dies from heat after car crash in Death Valley
57-year-old Peter Hayes Robino died from heat exposure in triple-digit temperatures while at Death Valley National Park earlier this month. PHOTO:National Park Services
California's Death Valley National Park has reported its second heat-related death of the summer, following an incident on August 1.
On that day, temperatures reached nearly 120 degrees Fahrenheit.
Park officials stated that 57-year-old Peter Hayes Robino from Duarte, California, was seen stumbling from the Natural Bridge Trailhead.
Despite bystanders’ offers of help, Robino, showing signs of confusion and incoherence, declined and returned to his vehicle.
Robino then drove off a 20-foot embankment at the parking lot's edge. Witnesses assisted him back to the parking lot and found shade while calling 911.
Emergency responders arrived 20 minutes later, and despite performing CPR and placing Robino in an air-conditioned ambulance, he was pronounced dead at 4:42 p.m. An autopsy confirmed he died of hyperthermia.
This incident follows another fatality in July, where a motorcyclist died amid record-breaking temperatures of 128 degrees Fahrenheit. Park officials advise visitors to avoid hiking after 10 a.m., stay close to air-conditioned vehicles, and take precautions against extreme heat.