Motorcylist Dies From Heat Exposure After Temperatures Hit 128 In Death Valley

A motorcyclist has died after suffering from heat exposure in Death Valley.

Authorities are investigating the death of a motorcyclist who died after being exposed to record-breaking temperatures at Death Valley National Park in California.

Temperatures reached 128 degrees temperature over the weekend, leaving one person dead and four others hospitalized.

A medical examiner is now conducting an autopsy on the motorcyclist to see what led to their death and if any other factors besides the heat played a role.

A motorcyclist died from heat exposure in Death Valley over the weekend, and another person was hospitalized as the national park recorded a high temperature of 128 F. https://t.co/iJSOPf86EL

— FOX 11 Los Angeles (@FOXLA) July 8, 2024

A motorcyclist has died from heat exposure in Death Valley, where temps reached 128 degrees.https://t.co/deuC71zY15

— NBC Los Angeles (@NBCLA) July 8, 2024

Here’s what NBC reported:

A long-running heat wave that has already shattered previous records across the U.S. persisted on Sunday, baking parts of the West with dangerous temperatures that caused the death of a motorcyclist in Death Valley and holding the East in its hot and humid grip.

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An excessive heat warning — the National Weather Service’s highest alert — was in effect for about 36 million people, or about 10% of the population, said NWS meteorologist Bryan Jackson. Dozens of locations in the West and Pacific Northwest tied or broke previous heat records.

That was certainly the case over the weekend: Many areas in Northern California surpassed 110 degrees (43.3 C), with the city of Redding topping out at a record 119 (48.3 C). Phoenix set a new daily record Sunday for the warmest low temperature: it never got below 92 F (33.3 C).

A high temperature of 128 F (53.3 C) was recorded Sunday at Death Valley National Park in eastern California, where a visitor died from heat exposure and another person was hospitalized, officials said.

The two visitors were part of a group of six motorcyclists riding through the Badwater Basin area amid scorching weather, the park said in a statement.

A motorcyclist died from heat exposure while visiting Death Valley National Park Saturday as the temperature there reached 128 F. Another motorcyclist was transported to a Las Vegas hospital for “severe heat illness,” according to park officials. The two were a part of a group of… pic.twitter.com/5h9zbPaPT3

— ABC7 Eyewitness News (@ABC7) July 8, 2024

Check out what USA Today reported:

Authorities are investigating after they said person on a motorcycle died of heat exposure at Death Valley National Park over the weekend as temperatures broke a record high in the region.

National Park Service Rangers reported the death took place near Badwater Basin on Saturday, when the temperature at Death Valley reached a record 128 degrees. The salt flats in Inyo County are not far from the California-Nevada state line, about 130 miles west of Las Vegas by motor vehicle.

The rider was with a group of six motorcyclists traveling through the park, rangers announced in a Monday news release. Another one of the riders, officials reported, was taken to a hospital in Las Vegas to be treated for severe heat illness.

The four others were treated in the national park and released.

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A medical examiner will determine the victim’s cause and manner of death.