Weekend Rainier Death - Anyone Have More Details?

[BreezyD]

King 5 - Hiker Found Dead On Mount Rainier

 

 

[sobo]

Investigation is ongoing. No speculations as of yet. Call the MRNP at 360-569-2211, then select "9" for the SAR Hotline, then select "2" for media inquiries. There's about a 2-minute-long, cryptic message that basically repeats much of what KING5 reported.

[trumpetsailor]

TNT has a little more prose:

 

http://www.thenewstribune.com/2011/12/14/1944479/snowshoer-found-dead-on-mount.html

 

Searching for "rainier" on google news turns up more articles.

[billcoe]

Sounds like if they could have dropped someone off the chopper with an extra sleeping bag, pad, some hot liquid, a nosh and a tent, dude would still be alive. Not being critical, when it's our time to go it's time and this guy chose to do out into that weather alone so I'm sure he'd be good with it, just basing that on the media story below where he was left to lay in the snow overnight. It sounds like if the guy had a buddy with him he'd most likely still be here.

 

"Six search and rescue teams, as well as a helicopter, began a search. Late in the afternoon, the helicopter crew spotted Grobois lying in the snow at the top of the Stevens Creek drainage. There was a dusting of snow on him, and he was unresponsive to the helicopter.

 

The scene is northeast of Paradise at 5,500-6,000 feet in elevation, near the Paradise Glacier Trail on the south side of the 14,411-foot mountain.

 

Because of rough terrain and fast approaching darkness, it was decided not to send in a ground team Monday evening.

 

A ground team was taken Tuesday to the Stevens Creek Bridge by a tracked snow machine and then made their way up the drainage to the scene. Grobois was unconscious and severely hypothermic when the team got to him, Wold said."

 

I go out myself alone into crazytime place on occasion, I've had some ....interesting ....moments over the years too. If you ever find me face down in the snow, or with my leg pinned by a boulder stuck half way up a cliff, or half eaten by a big cat - whatever you do be safe for you and your group. I'm there cause I'm gladly and happily there and it's OK. Jus sayin'......

[ScaredSilly]

WAG: The helicopter crew looking for him probably did not have any survival gear with them and thus were not prepared to drop any one in. Also given he had snow on him and did not respond to their presence they thought he was already dead. Thus the decision to come back in morning. Bummer as now there are what if questions - though remember the park has no duty to rescue.

 

That said good on the guy for letter someone know his plans and for them to contact when he failed to check in. Sad it did not help.

[Pete_H]

Bill how did you not understand that the guy was dead long before the helicopter even spotted him? I spose they could have dropped all that shit you're talking about but its not going to do much good for a cold corpse.

[rob]

Bill how did you not understand that the guy was dead long before the helicopter even spotted him? I spose they could have dropped all that shit you're talking about but its not going to do much good for a cold corpse.

 

from the article:

"A ground team was taken Tuesday to the Stevens Creek Bridge by a tracked snow machine and then made their way up the drainage to the scene. Grobois was unconscious and severely hypothermic when the team got to him, Wold said."

[AlpineK]

Scene safety is the first priority on any rescue. Can you approach the injured party without placing yourself at risk.

 

They may have been sent out quickly to search but not rescue due to short daylight hours.

[Pete_H]

OK my bad. I guess. The article contradicts itself though saying he'd been dead for 24 hours by the time the chopper took him out Tuesday.

 

If he wasn't dead when the ground team found him, which was probably on Monday (not Tuesday as the article says) I would imagine they provided him with shelter and warmth over the night until the choppe pulled him out.

[trumpetsailor]

Presuming, for a moment, that the article isn't just in error: From the rescuer's perspective, a severely hypothermic patient can be indistinguishable from a dead one. As the mantra goes, "Cold and dead is not the same thing as warm and dead." It can be standard procedure to treat a patient as hypothermic until they're re-warmed and confirmed deceased.

 

From personal experience, the MRNP rangers have rescue wired. A big thank-you to everyone involved.

 

Thoughts and kind wishes to the victim's family and friends. Sunday was probably a beautiful day on the mountain.

 

Edit -- More from TNT:

http://blog.thenewstribune.com/adventure/2011/12/14/new-york-man-brian-grobois-apparently-got-lost/

Edited December 14, 2011 by trumpetsailor

[ScaredSilly]

OK my bad. I guess. The article contradicts itself though saying he'd been dead for 24 hours by the time the chopper took him out Tuesday.

 

If he wasn't dead when the ground team found him, which was probably on Monday (not Tuesday as the article says) I would imagine they provided him with shelter and warmth over the night until the choppe pulled him out.

 

The article does not contradicts itself - the victim APPEARED dead. Thus why they did not drop into area. Appearances can be deceiving.

[Pete_H]

Not to belabor the point, but read the article again. It says he was taken out Tuesday morning by chopper to Madigan where a doctor said he had been dead for more than 24 hours. Whether the ground team got to him Monday night or Tuesday morning, he was still alive, and therefore could not have been dead for 24 hours when he got to the hospital - according to the article.

 

At any rate, its very tragic and MNRP rescue personnel did all they could to save the victim.