Temperatures above 126° Fahrenheit are believed to have played a role in the death of a 65-year-old visitor to Death Valley/NPS file

Extreme heat again appears to have played the role in the death of a national park visitor, this time involving a 65-year-old California man at Death Valley National Park whose car's air-conditioner was not functioning in 126° Fahrenheit heat.

Park staff Wednesday said the San Diego man was found dead in his vehicle on Monday morning after a maintenance worker noticed a vehicle about 30 yards off road from North Highway near Scotty's Castle in the northeastern corner of the park. The maintenance worker walked out to the vehicle and found the man unresponsive. Park rangers, Inyo County Sheriff’s Office, and Inyo County Coroner’s Office responded. The man was declared deceased on scene.  

The sedan’s tracks ran along the road shoulder and rocky berm before veering further away from the paved road, the release said. The vehicle did not crash but had two flat tires when stopped. The initial investigation suggests that heat-related illness may have caused the driver to run off road.  

The high temperature the previous day was 126°F.  The overnight low temperature was 98°F. The vehicle was found to be operational and was not stuck, however the air-conditioning in the vehicle was not operational, the release said, adding that the driver’s window was found down, further indication that the air conditioning was not functioning when the man was driving. 

Back on June 24 a 14-year-old Florida youth died while hiking in 119° Fahrenheit heat on the fully exposed Marufo Vega Trail in Big Bend National Park. The boy's stepfather was killed while driving to get help and overshot an embankment at Boquillas Overlook. This past weekend, a 57-year-old woman hiking in the remote Tuweep area of Grand Canyon National Park in temperatures above 100° Fahrenheit collapsed and died.