What Are The Odds Of Dying In A National Park This Summer?
DEATH VALLEY NATIONAL PARK, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 17: Visitors walk near a sign warning of extreme ... [+] heat danger on August 17, 2020 in Death Valley National Park, California. The temperature reached 130 degrees at Death Valley National Park on August 16, hitting what may be the hottest temperature recorded on Earth since at least 1913, according to the National Weather Service. Park visitors have been warned, Travel prepared to survive. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) Getty Images  This summer, ESCAPE FROM COVID-19 is a road movie. So by car, truck, van, RV and bus, Americans are packing our precious National Parks. And unfortunately, some will die. U.S. National Parks experienced 2,727 visitor deaths from 2007 to 2018. People died of natural causes, of suicide, and for many, accidents. For example, in October, 2020, a 25-year-old-man fell to his death at Glen Canyon National Recreation Area in Arizona. When authorities recovered his body, they found the remains of other hikers who had also fallen from the steep height. Others have died while climbing (Glacier National Park), taking pictures (Grand Canyon) or snapping selfies (Yosemite.) A young man was literally boiled to death in a thermal pool (Yellowstone.) Most recently, a professor of biology at Californias Stanislaus State, James Youngblom, passed away while solo hiking in Yosemite. The cause of death is as yet unknown, but Youngblom, 64, was an experienced outdoorsman. The good news about this tragic trend is that statistically, you are highly unlikely to meet your death in a national park, particularly if you use common sense. In late 2020, Panish Shea & Boyle LLP, a Los Angeles personal injury law firm, did an analysis of deaths in National Parks, based on National Parks Service (NPS) data. The personal injury law firm said, We feel that it is important to say that, based on our data, visiting U.S National Parks is very safe overall.  During the 2007 to 2018 time frame, there were an estimated 3.5 billion recreation visits to the National Parks System (NPS.) According to the Parrish Shea & Boyle study, that equates to just under 8 deaths per 10 million visits to park sites. CRATER LAKE NATIONAL PARK, OREGON - JUNE 13, 2019: A sign warns visitors to keep back from the edge ... [+] of Crater Lake in Oregon. The lake, a water-filled caldera of an ancient volcano, was formed 7,700 years ago by the collapse of the volcano Mount Mazama. (Photo by Robert Alexander/Getty Images) Getty Images  Similarly, in 2019, it was estimated that there were an average of six deaths per week in the National Park System, according to NPS chief spokesman Jeremy Barnum. In 2018, the 419 National Parks were visited by 318 million people, with 312 visitor fatalities, or just under one death per million visitors. By contrast, in pre-COVID 2019, U.S. deaths per 100,000 population averaged 715.2, or about 7,152 per million. The National Parks do not live in a vacuum. Visitors reflect the trends in the greater United States. And one of those trends is a troubling rise in preventable injuries. Since 2012, preventable injuries have increased from the fifth leading cause of death in the U.S. to the third, behind heart disease and cancer. Preventable injuries are also the leading cause of death from early childhood to middle age. In 2019, a staggering 173,000 Americans died of what were deemed preventable injuries. The top ten preventable injuries include poisoning (38%), falls (23%) motor vehicle, 22% and drowning, (2%). Many deaths in National Parks are attributed to these factors, although not in the same proportion. Drowning (668 deaths) is the leading cause of death at national parks and national recreation areas. That is followed by motor vehicle crashes (475 deaths), falls and slips (335), natural causes (285), and suicide (260). While poisoning is the number one cause of preventable injuries in the U.S., it is only the 10th largest cause of death in National Parks. Another also-ran are animal attacks. In 12 years, with 3.5 billion visitors, only eight people were killed by wild animals. Lake Ann, Corteo Peak and Black Peak from Lake Ann - Maple Pass - Heather Pass Loop Trail, ... [+] Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, Cascade Mountains, Washington. (Photo by: Greg Vaughn /VW PICS/Universal Images Group via Getty Images) Universal Images Group via Getty Images  The most dangerous National Park, statistically speaking, was North Cascades National Park in Washington State. The mountainous park is known for snow slides and avalanches. With only about 30,000 annual visitors, this 500,000-acre national park had a death rate of 652 per 10 million visits, more than six times higher than the second-deadliest, Alaskas Denali National Park. But its all about the numbers; Lake Mead National Recreation Area had the most total deaths during the study period, 201, as well as the most drowning deaths, 89. Interestingly, the data analysis says 81% of fatalities are male, versus 19% female. Deaths are fairly evenly distributed among age groups, except children; thankfully, children 0-14 represented only a tiny fraction of deaths, just 35 out of more than 2700 in the period studied. First, National Parks are statistically relatively safe places, although you may experience gridlock, road rage, and other irritations at many this summer. A second point is that of the deaths in U.S. national parks that do occur, many need never have happened. Many of the fatalities in national parks are preventable with some common sense. In a tragic example, in the case of the young man who died at Yellowstone, he and his sister reportedly left a boardwalk in an illegal attempt to soak, or "hot pot", in the park's thermal pools. Reckless behavior has led to many unnecessary deaths. There are tales of tragic selfie falls, and drinking and diving in lakes, rapids, or waterfalls. Road accidents from careless driving, unsafe passing, not wearing seatbelts, driving under the influence, or speeding on unfamiliar winding mountain roads at night. have caused other needless deaths. Lack of preparation, like long hikes in extreme heat without sufficient water or sun protection, can also take its toll. If you are thinking of heading to a park this summer (or waiting till the crowds die down), the good news is that the National Parks are generally safe. The question is whether park visitors are safe from themselves.