Who: 49-year-old Thomas Pruner of Lake Forest
Where: Santa Cruz Islands, Channel Islands National Park, California
His mistake: His hiking group didn’t listen to the numerous warnings to bring more water
What happened: A man and a group of friends planned on kayaking on Santa Cruz Island. But when high seas rolled in, the original plan was cancelled. Instead, the group decided to hike 14 miles from Prisoner Harbor to Scorpion Campground.
Each person in the group carried two liters of water for the 14-mile hike in 94 degree-weather. It isn’t clear if there were resupplies on the way. When the group was dropped off at the harbor, the group was told to bring more water. As the group was leaving for their walk, a ranger also told them they should be carrying twice as much water as they were carrying.
The group disregarded the warnings and went on their hike as planned. One of the men started showing signs of fatigue early in the day. And as they reached a mountain range, he needed assistance to walk. By the time they reached the campground, the man seized and became unresponsive and was unconscious.
Several other hikers tried to revive him using CPT and a defibrillator for an hour. When Sheriffs arrived, they tried to revive him for an additional 30 minutes. The man was pronounced dead at 7:27 p.m.
Read the story here.
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