A man has died of heat stroke in California’s Death Valley National Park as temperatures reached triple digits.
According to National Park Service According to the National Park Service (NPS), 57-year-old Peter Hayes Lovino of Los Angeles drove his car down a 20-foot embankment on August 1.
Witnesses told local authorities they saw Lovino staggering towards a car before the incident, and park officials said they offered to help Lovino but he refused, and that his reactions were unclear.
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Peter Hayes Lovino, 57, died of heat stroke in Death Valley National Park earlier this month as temperatures reached triple digits. (National Park Service)
Lovino then got into his car and rolled down a 20-foot slope at the edge of the parking lot.
The vehicle rolled over and the airbags deployed, according to the NPS.
The Death Valley National Park welcome sign is seen on January 6, 2023 in Death Valley, California, USA. (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
A passerby who witnessed the incident immediately called 911, and another passerby ran down the embankment to help Lovino out of the vehicle.
NPS emergency responders received a 911 call at 3:50 p.m. and arrived at 4:10 p.m.
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Passersby said Lovino was breathing until shortly before park rangers arrived.
NPS paramedics began CPR and placed Lovino in an air-conditioned ambulance, where he was pronounced dead at 4:42 p.m.
The Badwater Basin salt flats were filmed in Death Valley National Park, which straddles California and Nevada and is known for its extreme temperatures, vast desert, and unique geological features. (Gabe Ginsburg/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
An autopsy performed by the Inyo County coroner later determined that Lovino died of hyperthermia.
Symptoms of overheating include confusion, irritability, and loss of coordination.
The National Park Service said the temperature in the park that afternoon was 119 degrees Fahrenheit.
“Our condolences go to Mr Lovino’s family and friends,” said Detective Superintendent Mike Reynolds, one of the emergency responders who responded to the incident. “His death serves as a lesson in never underestimating the dangers of extreme heat.”
There is a heatstroke warning sign at Zabriskie Point. Death Valley National Park, which straddles California and Nevada, is known for its extreme temperatures, vast desert, and unique geography. (Gabe Ginsburg/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Park officials said this was the second heatstroke death in Death Valley National Park this summer.
Symptoms of overheating include confusion, irritability, and loss of coordination.
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Park rangers at Death Valley National Park offer this advice to summer visitors:
- Avoid the heat by staying indoors or near an air conditioner.
- Do not hike after 10am at lower elevations.
- Drink plenty of water.
- Eat salty snacks.
