California’s Death Valley National Park has recorded its second heat-related death of the summer, following an incident on August 1 when temperatures soared to nearly 120 degrees Fahrenheit.
The deceased, 57-year-old Peter Hayes Robino from Duarte, California, was seen staggering from the Natural Bridge Trailhead. Despite bystanders offering assistance and noticing his signs of confusion, Robino declined help and returned to his vehicle. He subsequently drove off a 20-foot embankment at the parking lot’s edge.
Witnesses helped him back to the parking lot, found shade, and called 911. Emergency responders arrived within 20 minutes and performed CPR before transporting him in an air-conditioned ambulance. Robino was pronounced dead at 4:42 p.m., with an autopsy confirming hyperthermia as the cause of death.
This follows a similar fatality in July, when a motorcyclist died due to record-breaking temperatures of 128 degrees Fahrenheit. Park officials urge visitors to avoid hiking after 10 a.m., stay near air-conditioned vehicles, and take extreme heat precautions.
