Heat blamed in death of German man in Death Valley National Park
A German man found dead along a remote road in Death Valley National Park on June 9 was overcome by the heat, according to the coroner in Inyo County, Calif.
Reinhard Egger, 60, died from hyperthermia because of exposure to extreme heat, said Carma Roper, spokeswoman for the Inyo County Sheriff’s Office.
It is believed Egger may have been dead for one or two days before his body was discovered near his motorcycle, which was parked upright and in working condition on Harry Wade Road, a dirt track at the southern end of the 3.4 million-acre park.
Death Valley’s official weather station in Furnace Creek, California, about 125 miles west of Las Vegas, recorded a high temperature of 118 degrees on the day the man was found.
The high at Furnace Creek was expected to hit 124 Monday and Tuesday and 121 Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service.
The man’s death and two other recent incidents in remote parts of the park prompted a warning from the National Park Service about the dangers of off-highway travel in extreme heat.
Correction: In a previous version of this story, the cause of death for a German man whose body was found in Death Valley National Park on June 9 was misstated. Reinhard Egger died from hyperthermia due to exposure to extreme heat, according to the coroner in Inyo County, Calif.
Contact Henry Brean at hbrean@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0350. Find @RefriedBrean on Twitter.
