DONT Go out ALONE. Make Sure you have a communication device!!! MAKE SURE YOU HAVE PLENTY OF WATER!!!

<B>Missing man found dead in sand dunes</B>

Jul 2, 2002
Martin Myer collapsed several hundred yards from his broken-down dune buggy in an ill-fated attempt to find help.

The search for Myer in the Imperial Sand Dunes ended Sunday morning when Carl Studer, a volunteer for the DeAnza Search and Rescue Team, found his body.

Myer, 42, of Chula Vista, Calif., disappeared during a dune buggy ride with his girlfriend at Gordon's Well.

Lisa A. Scala, 29, of Lake Matthews, Calif. was found dead Thursday — the first day of the search. She had stayed behind with the dune buggy while Myer walked off to find help, Imperial County sheriff's authorities speculate.

Scala died of exposure and authorities also suspect Myer succumbed to the triple-digit heat, said William Jernigan, an investigator with the sheriff's office.

"They didn't have enough water," he said.

Empty water bottles were found in the buggy.

An Imperial Irrigation District employee who was working in the area reported the couple missing when they didn't return to their camp site, located at a place known as Drop One.

They were last seen at camp a week ago today.

The dune buggy — discovered about four miles north of the camp — had a broken steering column, Jernigan said.

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RoostKing...

 

That is very sad......Bums me out to hear stuff like that.....

 

Yea it totally sucks, but hopefully it will be a reminder to people about safety in the dunes. These people werent even in an accident or anything, simply broke down. 4 miles from camp... That may not seem like along ways for a healthy person to hike, but as you know, 100 in the dunes yards takes some effort. The paper did not even mention any alocohol involved and there was empty water bottles found, so they werent all dehydrated from drinking and still perished. What a horrible way to die and for what? to get some duning in? Duning is fun, but in the hot summer months it can turn into a tragedy in a hurry. Hindsight is always 20/20, but if i were in that situation, I would have waited at the buggy, somehow making shade, even if it meant having your face 1 inch from the bottom of the buggy(being under it) until the sun had gone down some. Who knows, its hard to say and I hope I am never in that situation. In the summer months, it is recommended that a person drink 1 gallon of water a day. Please be safe everybody,

RoostKing...

 

That is amazing that it took them 4 days to find someone that collapsed a few hundred yards from the buggy. What a sad story! Four miles doesn't seem like much but in those dunes it would take forever to walk!

 

A broken steering column.....yes, a sad situation. THis could have happenned to anyone unprepared to be out for an extended period in the sweltering sun. My condolences to the families.

 

I was at Buttercup a few days after they found the bodies. It was 108 at 630 PM, incredibly hot. We got unloaded at 730 and rode all night, the tempature dropped to about 90 I would guess. It was an awesome ride. BUT, there were two of us, we had plenty of water, and we both know Buttercup pretty good, so there would be no problem short of a dual breakdown that would end up being life threatening. That is unlikley, we both ride Honda's!
Incidentally, if anybody in the Phoenix/Tucson area would like to plan just an overnight trip to the dunes, I am in. We had an awesome time as we were the only riders out, besides the Border Patrol on warriors.