James Kim Found Dead After Family Rescued

[jyl]

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/12/07/FAMILY.TMP

I really hoped this would turn out better.

Those of us w/ experience backpacking, etc, could probably think of things they could have done better. But these folks were city people, just on a family roadtrip, they didn't think they were headed for a wilderness survival ordeal, they thought they were simply driving to the coast.

Very sad.

[HardDrive]

Originally posted by jyl
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/12/07/FAMILY.TMP

I really hoped this would turn out better.

Those of us w/ experience backpacking, etc, could probably think of things they could have done better. But these folks were city people, just on a family roadtrip, they didn't think they were headed for a wilderness survival ordeal, they thought they were simply driving to the coast.

Very sad.

Very sad indeed. I admittedly had a bit of a 'what the hell were they thinking?!?!?!" response at first, but your right. They were city folks, who did not really understand the dangers involved.

I feel badly. The guy did what he thought was right, trying to go get help, and it cost him his life.

This bothered me quite a bit.

[cool_chick]

[dd74]

Tragic. Nonetheless, he was a real hero.

Here's the CNET.COM obit for him. I never thought I'd read an obituary on a technology website.

http://news.com.com/2009-12-6141617.html?tag=cnetfd.ld1

[pwd72s]

Evidently he followed his car's navigation system...which showed the road as a paved road to the coast, which it is...but those systems don't know August from December. A printed map may have had a written caution. He's not the first to be stranded on that road and die. He won't be the last, unfortunately. Damned sad story...

[pwd72s]

Originally posted by pwd72s
Evidently he followed his car's navigation system...which showed the road as a paved road to the coast, which it is...but those systems don't know August from December. A printed map may have had a written caution. He's not the first to be stranded on that road and die. He won't be the last, unfortunately. Damned sad story...

(edit)...obviously, there are many things that should be packed before heading into country like that...but he flat didn't know, had no experience, no local knowledge passed on. A hell of a lot of people put themselves in danger trying to help, but it was too late. Once I heard that his tracks went off the road, it told me he was already hypothermic, not thinking clearly...To repeat, a damned sad story. To any crossing Pacific Northwest mountain passes in the winter...be prepared. Carry the proper gear, or don't go! All wheel drive is handy indeed...works really well for getting you further from help before you get stuck. Even I-5 going over the Siskiyou summit (4,300 feet above sea level) has left people trapped in their cars for hours...

[pwd72s]

whoops...must have clicked on quote instead of edit.

[VaSteve]

Yes it is sad. Family lost a father and husband. What I find facinating for as sophisticated at the United States is, there still lies a danger from Mother Nature.

I heard his boss on TV last night but I don't get the quote that he was a "hero". I see the term bandied about a lot these days, but what does it *really* mean? Sorry if you find me an ass for this statement.

[RickM]

I think he is called a hero for the selfless act of setting out to get help for his wife and daughter. He must've known the odds were not in his favor. Can one be a hero from an act of desperation?

I was surprised that he had the resourcefullnes to burn tires for warmth and to possibly attract attention.

I was hoping it would turn out better as well.

[Laneco]

Bear Camp Road is notorious around here. If you live here, as we do, you know to just avoid it in the winter. But it looks so promising on the map... Unfortunately this road is not closed seasonally. There are people who live there or enroute to Gold Beach/Agness area who do use this road, with 4x4, weather permitting even in the winter.

When passable, it is a dramatic shortcut between Gold Beach/Agness and the Rogue Valley including I-5. You save more than 80 miles to Gold Beach and more to Agness. It is also a beautiful drive.

One of the worst mistakes you can possibly make in winter driving is to not have a full tank of fuel. Around here, this is what causes the worst problems. Even on I-5 across the Siskiyou Pass. When it shuts down for a snow-related accident, there are people who quickly come to desperatation because they have no fuel in the vehicle.

The family Saab was low on fuel. They had determined they were lost and could go no further. They had turned the car around. With low fuel, they opted to try and wait for rescue. Time passed...

Absolutely a tragic outing...
angela

[Eric P]

I followed this and reallly hoped it would turn out different. For some reason I didn't expect it to.

I'm asking myself if I would have done what I did. All the survival stuff I read says STAY PUT! BUT, after so many days, I may have thought it was necessary to go.

I wonder why he took the route he did.

So sad that if he HAD stayed, they all would have gotten out alive.

[JeremyD]

Unfortunately, we see it all the time boating in florida. GPS gives you the coordinates to somewhere, you get in your boat and take off, ignoring the state of your surroundings.

I grew up sailing - where you better pay attention to the weather, or Mother Nature will b!tch slap you.

I think some of these electronic gizmos give people a false sense of security.

Sad ending.

[Eric P]

Agreed! I learned quickly GPS in the woods is a tool. Not a get-out-of-jail-free card.

[Steve Carlton]

What a shame. I read an interesting article about how the searchers got to the correct area to find the Kims. I think James Kim was a hero, but also Eric Fuqua with Edge Wireless.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2006/12/05/financial/f164146S30.DTL&hw=ping&sn=008&sc=569

[LakeCleElum]

I watched this very closely and was rooting for him. Been on Bear Creek road on a motorycle. I understand him leaving on foot to go for assistance. I could not have sat there 9 days waiting and wondering. I question why he left traveling uphill, away from the direction he had come from. Probably thought it was closer to Agness than back to Galice. His real mistake was getting off the road and trying to go cross-country. Now we know he made a 8 mile circle and ended up less than a mile from the car.

I spend a lot of time in the woods on dirt bikes and snowmobiles. It's very easy to get lost.

Friends of mine bad-mouth a GPS because they think they can shut off their brain and it will do all the work for them. I find it a great tool, but you had to know it's limitations.....Like what has been said, city folks just out for a holiday vacation....It's not right, but it happens...

[vash]

i wish he had stayed with the car. if he couldnt find his way driving, his odds are less walking.

very sad.

[Eric P]

Also reminds me to take my mom's advice in Winter: Keep a bunch of warm clothes/coat in the car, even if you don't plan on using it.

I used to sneer at that as a kid. I don't these days...

[Jims5543]

When we were house hunting in the rural North Carolina Mountains we wer eusing our GPS to get to the addresses. It worked great.

We happened to be near Mt. Mitchel and decided to stop off and spend some time there. We told the GPS to take us there and it started us down a very twisty mountain road with scattered houses along, it.. then it turned to a dirt road. I stopped, turned around and went back, my wife wanted to press foward, I told her the GPS was wrong (fist time it did that) and this was not the right route.

I ended up talking to a guy in town and he confirmed I was on a dead end road that ened up in the middle of no where.

GPS is a good tool but you need to use common sense. No matter how rural the area if for a second you do not like a command from it, ignore it turn around and get back to civilization and talk to a local.

How stuck was this car? My mission would have been to get the car unstuck, and drive back the way I came. I would have spent every minute from the moment I got stuck to get the car free again.

That is a truly sad story, heartbreaking.

[Nostril Cheese]

I dont really see how this guy is a hero. "Hmm, rural Oregon, winter, snow, lets get off I5 and take a country road through the mountains"

Yeah it sucks that he's dead, but you would think he'd have some common sense.

[fingpilot]

The state of Oregon road map had a warning about dangerous winter conditions on that road. That it may be impassable in winter. In CAPS.

The Rand-McNally map (the one they had) had no such warning.