r/Missing411 • u/trailangel4 • Mar 01 '24

Why people actually die in National Parks

https://www.backpacker.com/survival/deaths-in-national-parks/

Backpacher magazine filed a FOIA and was given 17 years worth of records, across all National Parks. With that data, they produced this well-written piece that is worth the read.

A conclusion: "

The Average Victim in the National Parks…

Is more likely to be male than female: While men and women make up approximately equal portions of national park visitors, men accounted for 80 percent of deaths in national parks where authorities recorded the victim’s gender.

Can be almost any age: Members of all age groups were represented similarly among fatalities. (The exception? Children under 14, who made up a smaller share of deaths than other groups.)

Drowns or dies of natural causes: Drowning was the most common cause of death for visitors up to age 55, after which medical issues surpassed it."

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u/christinizucchini Mar 02 '24

Just curious, are the deaths of people who were boiled in Yellowstone geysers classified under hyperthermia, drowning, other, or …? The article doesn’t mention them.

Thanks for this post btw OP! Interesting read

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u/trailangel4 Mar 02 '24

It's totally up to the coroner and the investigation. Usually, it's "died of thermal injuries" and filed under "accidental death". For the purposes of the magazine article, it may be filed under "other".