Tragic. More details at the link. Their Jeep Cherokee got stuck several miles off a dirt road.

How much water would an adult, child and a dog need to survive for five days in a 100+ degree desert environment?

Don't know what their shade situation was. Guessing it wasn't good. But they had camping gear. Article doesn't say what all the mom tried to do.

What a nightmare for her to lose her little boy (the Dachsund lived).


http://www.lasvegasnow.com/Global/story.asp?S=10867128

Las Vegas Boy Dies After Getting Stranded in Death Valley

Updated: Aug 07, 2009 5:54 PM

An 11-year-old Las Vegas boy died after his mother's car got stuck in sand for five days on their way to Death Valley for a camping trip, officials said Friday.

...got stuck when it drove over an underground coyote den and the soil collapsed

...try to get a cell phone signal but could not,

...The pair had no maps and quickly consumed the 24 16-oz. bottles of water, Pop Tarts and cheese sandwiches they had packed.

A bit more detail here:

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/08/07/us/AP-US-Death-Valley-Fatality.html

Sounds like she was reported missing after failing to report to work (she's a nurse at a Las Vegas hospital).



http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D99UAGC01&show_article=1

He said searchers mistakenly looked late Wednesday for Sanchez in campgrounds in the Panamint Mountains, based on family members' reports that she planned to camp in free sites and visit the Scotty's Castle attraction in the far northeast corner of the vast national park.

I feel terrible when I read stories like this about people dying painful deaths. Especially when there is no good reason for them to place themselves in such a situation.

I often think that people have far to much faith in their vehicles, maybe it is the result of to many ads telling them that 4WD vehicles never break down or get stuck.

Sorry, but 4WD cars do get stuck or break down and being stranded in the desert is just as bad as being stranded in a blizzard, maybe worse.

you just nailed it right there.....

So sad. We came across a man and boy walking in the 105 degree
heat in the nearby Saline Valley. They had rented a Ford 4x4 and
had taken it out in the sand dunes and gotten it stuck. Went off
a little dune and became high centered. They were hours of walking from the nearest people.

Shovel and car mat was the key to getting
them out. On that trip we got TWO flat tires.

It may be wise to caravan with others in that country.

As a rule, I very rarely go far off-road with a vehicle unless I'm traveling with at least one other vehicle. Be that my snowmobiles or my 4x4's.

I've been in way too many situations where a tow or a ride became necessary.



With that being the case, I've even been in situations like that on-road as well. Had the drive shaft break (and the pinion get stuck) in my K5 Blazer right in the middle of the road, in winter, with no tow truck able to help for at least 2 hours. Ended up having to get a ride home, get my Envoy, and use the Envoy and chains to drag the Blazer out of the middle of the road. 4Lo came in handy that day, dragged the dead weight of a K5 blazer on 40" tires no problem.

Profanity, profanity!

She made every possible mistake she could:

* Left no detailed directions where she was going;
* Didn't notify anyone locally;
* No map;
* Only took 3 gallons of water to a desolate area famous for high temps in summer;
* Depended on GPS and cell phone;
* Left the road;
* Figured 4WD could go anywhere;
* If it were possible to get the Jeep out of the hole, she didn't know what it was;
* Left the tire and rim behind;

And probably no knowledge of how to build a smokey signal fire, nothing to create shade.

Poor little boy, poor little dog.

Really sad. Obviously not enough water; 24x16oz of water in that locale is a good start for a day, for one person. She probably presumed that they'd arrive and she didn't anticipate any issues. You just can't have too much water. Heck, I take that much water on a drive up I-5.

As has been noted, 4x4's are part of the problem, folks seem to be more careful with 2WD.

This is certainly a situation where a PLB would have made all the difference. But then if you don't plan well enough to bring more water than that to Death Valley in August, you probably don't own a PLB. And if you did have the water and the PLB, you are probably the kind of person who wouldn't try an offroad trip to Death Valley in August with a young child.

Not being snarky here, and I do feel for the mom. Thinking of that little kid drying out gets to me.

I brag all the time on what my Jeep is capable of, but I do know its limitations. I also know a lot about getting a vehicle repaired or unstuck. I talk to a lot of people who really believe the shifter or button that says "4WD" on it is magic. Like you push the button, and suddenly nothing can stop the vehicle.

Plus I've spend a good bit of time and $ upgrading parts on my Jeep (no chrome aftermarket shiny crap, "chrome won't get you home"), like lockers, M/T tires, and such. And I know the major differences between a lot of "SUV's" and a real 4wd vehicle.

There are actually people who think their 2WD vehicle is as good as a 4WD just because it's an SUV.

Oh - and if I ever have to drive through a desert (we don't have those around here), I'd bring a ton of water with me. And if I'm going further than a day's walking distance from roads, there WILL be other vehicles along with me.