1 killed, several hurt by lightning near Mt. Whitney

[fgoodwin]

1 killed, several hurt by lightning near Mt. Whitney

 

http://www.inyoregister.com/articles/2005/08/16/news/501new01.txt

 

Tragedy befalls group of Boy Scouts in Sequoia National Forest; youth still in critical condition

 

By Darcy Ellis

Editor Tuesday, August 16, 2005 9:46 AM PDT

 

One backpacker was killed and two others were critically injured this week when lightning struck a group of Boy Scouts west of Mt. Whitney.

 

A youth remains hospitalized in critical condition following the lightning incident late Thursday afternoon when the party became trapped in a sudden rainstorm along the John Muir Trail, said Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks spokesperon Alexandra Picavet.

 

Another individual is also being held at University Medical Center in Fresno for observation, while the rest of the injured scouts and adults were to be released from the hospital yesterday.

 

All other information about the victims, such as their names, hometowns and travel itinerary, is still being withheld by authorities. Picavet did note the group is from California, however.

 

According to Picavet, the incident is still under investigation, but officials believe tragedy befell the Boy Scouts about 4 p.m. Thursday as they hiked near Sandy Meadow in Sequoia National Park.

 

Afternoon lightning storms, the National Park Service noted, are common in the High Sierra during mid-summer, especially this year, when storms have been occurring "daily" during the hot weather.

 

Such was the case Thursday. "The group saw a storm rolling in so they set up a couple of tarps and a tent," Picavet said. About seven members of the group huddled beneath one of the tarps, two gathered under another, one individual was in transit out in the open and the remaining members were seeking refuge in the tent when lightning struck. Noting again that the incident is still under investigation, Picavet said it appears the lightning did not strike the tent or tarps directly but rather touched down very near one of the shelters.

 

Three members of the party were critically injured by the strike, and several others were also hurt.

 

Two individuals, Picavet said, ran to the ranger station about a half-hour away in Crabtree Meadow. The backcountry ranger assigned to the station took off on foot, arriving at the wilderness site - located about four miles west of Mt. Whitney - within 30 minutes to find victims with significant injuries.

 

Boy Scouts had been performing CPR on two of the critically injured persons for at least an hour, Picavet said. Their efforts on one of the victims would prove unsuccessful.

 

Park Service emergency personnel mobilized immediately, with highly-trained park medics being delivered by "multiple helicopters" to the remote site, which is at the 10,700-foot elevation level. Flights, according to the Park Service, were hampered by continuing strong thunderstorm activity.

 

Rangers, once on the ground, found CPR still in progress on several of the backpackers. One victim - an adult, according to Picavet - was declared dead by medics after radio consultations with physicians at University Medical Center.

 

Two others who were critically injured were then flown out to the Fresno hospital for treatment. The entire party of 12 was eventually evacuated using four helicopters.

 

Again, the two other individuals who were critically injured remain hospitalized, one still in critical condition.

 

The backpacker who was killed, according to the Park Service, is the seventh person to die in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks this year.

 

The Park Service is warning backcountry visitors that summer rainstorms always present a potential hazard.

[Prairie_Scouter]

Another tragedy in a year where Scout tragedies seem to be making the news more often than in previous years. Whether that means there have been more accidents this year, I don't know.

 

Having spent a good deal of time in the high country, I can say that this kind of occurance is a fact of life up there. Depending on exactly where they were in regards to the peaks, they may not have had much time to react, and almost certainly wouldn't have had time to retreat. There isn't enough information to know whether the Scouts acted appropriately or not, but I'd rather give them the benefit of the doubt. Anytime you choose to live with Nature, you take the chance that Nature may strike out at you through random happenstance. Sometimes, things just happen.