Kim family tragedy

[LarryC]

Here's a great link to spectacular pics and portrayals of where the Kim family made a wrong turn and got stranded, and where he hiked back up the road and down Big Windy Creek: http://www.layoutscene.com/james-kim-path/index.html

The terrain is terrifying as it is, and he must have descended at least 3,000 before he gave out. These pics finally show (the first I've found, that is) where his stranded car ended up in relation to Kim's remains and where the Black Bar Lodge is. While his body was probably less than a mile from the lodge, it would have required a very lucky guess to turn downstream instead of up if he'd even reached the Rogue.

Page 11 of the site shows how utterly confusing the road layout was, and how likely it was that the Kims would have turned onto the dead-end road at the point it diverged from the route 23 to Gold Beach. I think the BLM must be blameworthy for depending on a gate with a lock that vandals regularly broke to keep people from going down that deadly road, unless there were especially good signs.

That said, the Kims sure were low on back-country lore -- keeping going at night and deciding not to stay over, when their arrival time at Gold Beach could not have been before 1:00 a.m.; keeping going on a climbing road with increasing snow on it, and not turning around at the slightest sign of trouble; and not backtracking to a safe highway even if it meant going many miles out of their way. I suspect they had no idea that one simply can't make more than 30 mph on those back mountain roads in Oregon even in daylight when conditions are good.

One of the views from the above link:

[Travis In Austin]

What a sad deal. I seem to recall something similar happening near Reno several years ago. Made national news, etc. No matter what time of year you go up into those mountains you have to be prepared for the worst. I seen in snow in July in Vail! You really have to be ready.

Travis

[meagain]

Yea,    CNN had some show on it Friday night where the reporters & some officials went up there.  They said many parts of the road were so narrow that the foliage brushed against the car.  They couldn't figure out why they just didn't try to go back.   They were also saying they ran the car at night to get warm and were wondering if they had gas to do that, why not turn back?   IDK - we don't know the true account, but it's puzzling.    Also, I don't understand why they weren't found sooner.   They weren't hikers on foot.  They were on an actual road.  Also in a car in a clearing.   And why did he leave the road?   Probably disoriented at that point.   Just a shame all the way around.

[LarryC]

...why not turn back? Also, I don't understand why they weren't found sooner. They weren't hikers on foot. They were on an actual road. Also in a car in a clearing. And why did he leave the road? Probably disoriented at that point. Just a shame all the way around.

I think they got stuck, didn't they? It takes very little snow depth to do that in a low-center car. As for not being found sooner, the search helicopters were over near the coast. It was only because a local helicopter owner knew how confusing that very road was, and went specifically to look for them there! Even then, it was very difficult for him to see anything because the trees were so thick over the road.

Sounds right about the disorientation -- a sign of being very cold for too long. And, Dr. Michael Baden said early on that the shedding of clothes was probably "paradoxial undressing," due to the body feeling very warm while it's freezing.

[meagain]

IDK - I thought they got stuck in snow, but I heard something on cnn or msnbc that they didn't.  But they went through 'patches' of snow to get where they ended up.   I think the media doesn't know exactly yet.  I saw the road and it was a dirt road though.     About them not being found though....  and again, this may not be accurate and I didn't look at the maps thoroughly, but I heard they were only about 12 miles into that area off the main road.  Which doesn't seem that far for a search.   I guess I just find it hard to fathom not being rescued after 9 days or so on an actual ROAD.    Then again, I sat around for around 4 days watching thousands of people begging for water in New Orleans after that hurricane hit.  God - that was weird eh?    

[LarryC]

The road was completely unused at this time of year -- logging, travel to the lodge was about it, and no one had any reason to travel down it except in summer. The BLM had installed a gate and tried to keep it locked because it wasn't used in winter. There are numerous stories around about people getting snowed in on similar unused roads in the winter and someone finds their remains in the Spring. Except for that sharp and enterprising local helicopter pilot, that probably would have been the Kims' fate as well.

Still, you have a point -- if one helicopter owner knew about the confusing junction and could use his imagination to go check out that apparently notorious road, [EDIT} why didn't other locals think of it when the couple was reported missing in that part of the country? Or the local BLM office, which had had problems keeping that gate locked to keep people off the road?

[WMcD]

I was out there on business at about the same time.

This seems to be an unusual part of America. It is very urban but rural danger in winter is very close by.

Gil

[colterphoto1]

what is the main story on this tragedy? Looks like he nearly got back to the Black Bar Lodge, which would have meant safety? Shame.

[el jopez]

Colter,

The family was on their way back from Thanksgiving, and on their way back made a wrong turn off the main highway. After being stuck out in the wilderness for a while, Kim decided to find help, where he subsequently succumbed to the elements. Its sad and tragic. As well, he was quite prolific at CNET as one of their senior editors of the mobile electronic section for the company.

[jamesV]

Colter,

The family was on their way back from Thanksgiving, and on their way back made a wrong turn off the main highway. After being stuck out in the wilderness for a while, Kim decided to find help, where he subsequently succumbed to the elements. Its sad and tragic. As well, he was quite prolific at CNET as one of their senior editors of the mobile electronic section for the company.

Wow, I didn't know that this was the guy from CNET. I've seen his reviews of products on the web site. He will be missed indeed. Here is a link to the CNET page for his memoriam. http://news.com.com/James+Kim+1971-2006/2009-12_3-6141617.html?tag=nefd.pop

[meagain]

Unfortunately more into audio gadgets than GPS systems.

[jacksonbart]

I like maps and cell phones

[LarryC]

The excellent CNN/Paula Zahn 1-hr. special last night (Monday) was interesting and informative. There are zillions of back roads in that area and the fatal turnoff would have been one of many, so locals may have had good reason not to think of that one. The helicopter pilot had a very special internal alert inside of him. Interestingly, the owner of the Black Bar lodge was well aware of the problem, as he or someone had painted "coast" and something like "dead end" directly on rhe roads at that intersection, in white paint that wouldn't show under snow. The most interesting revelation was that while the helicopter pilot searched much of that road, he didn't see anything until JAMES KIM'S FOOTPRINTS several miles away from the car. That caused the pilot to search further and finally locate the family. If James hadn't left the car and walked the road, they might still be missing! If so, the trek cost him his life but saved his family.

The Black Bar Lodge was a few miles down a turnoff that had a closed gate, as was shown on CNN last night. I don't think Kim knew about the lodge or was trying to get to it, not by the path he took. Since he supposedly was trying to get back to Galice, he would have turned upstream if he'd reached the Rogue, and the lodge was downstream, hidden around a bend in the river. My own belief at this point is that he should have continued walking along the road, since he eventually would have come back on the highway and might have been able to flag someone down (this was mentioned last night), or possibly make it to Galice, since it was supposed to have been 15 miles away [edit: it was actually about 20-22], which was about how far he walked, [edit: a third] of it through a steep, near-impassable creek bottom.

[kaiser SET say]

I'm with you 100% on that last statement Larry, Mr. Kim should have never left the road and really should have headed back up the road they came in on! The road may be less traveled but off the road is really less traveled. It' s too bad the Copter pilots internal warning system did not prompt him to go on his fruitful mission sooner than 9 days though[]

Just like the three guys currently lost on Mt. Hood I think with the technology we have available today all expiditions should have some kind of GPS homing device with them, actually every one in the party should have their own device

It really breaks my heart that those two children have lost the father, just sad all the way around!

[Colin]

I grew up in <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Manitoba and Minnesota. People freeze to death by the side of the road with traffic whizzing by if they get cold and fall asleep. Old ladies freeze to death every winter without calling anybody. We always had spare blankets, snow mobile suits, shovels and sand in the trunks of our cars.

[jamesV]

It really breaks my heart that those two children have lost the father, just sad all the way around!

That can't be said enough.

Also we can say what we woiuld do in the same situation but you also have to remember that he didn't have that much food and water over that 9 day span either. You really have to wonder what kind of mental state he was in while walking for help. It's just sad.

[D-MAN]

The thing to be noted is a valiant attempt to rescue the family was made after a litany of mistakes. Unfortunately, it didn't work out.

The issue of whether to stay put or whether to attempt to walk out is always a very tough decision.

It is unlikely that anyone would search such a remote road in the mountains in a snow storm.

What makes this unusual (somewhat) is that USUALLY the weather out here won't generally kill you. That was a particularily nasty storm, out-of-season, even.

DM

[Clarence]

Unfortunately more into audio gadgets than GPS systems.

I noticed this as well. cnet tech editor, http://my.cnet.com/community/jameskim/ loved anything pc, but oddly enough didnt spring for a $400 TomTom Navigation system or the like. Jeesh coulda probably borrowed one for a ride like that. 2005 Saab 9-2x wagon. AWD. Probably thought it could take them anywhere.

A very sad story. jacksonbart must be drinking again.

[LarryC]

An op-ed by Spencer Kim, James Kim's father appeared in this morning's Washington Post: The Lessons in My Son's Death. I copied it below. He writes about some of the same things that really bugged me:

Why wasn't the logging road posted with a clear DEAD END sign, and why wasn't common local knowledge of frequent wrong turns onto that logging road acted on? Was it even reported? I doubt that the road could have been blocked, or stay blocked, against hunters and Christmas tree cutters, but what a difference a clear Dead End sign could have made!

How on earth could hotels and restaurants deny credit card and phone use records in such an emergency? I felt personally outraged that the Portland hotel and Roseburg restaurant would deny a legit request from the police -- on instructions from their national HQ, no less -- in the midst of a widely-known desparate hunt?

It's too bad that it took setting up a state police command post to move resources such as heat-seeking Air National Guard helicopters into play.

It's too bad that some rescue helicopters ceased operations for an afternoon because FAA temporary flight restrictions were lifted for the benefit of the media.

It seems so unnecessary for someone to have to die in order to bring these matters to the forefront. The best summary of the whole picture that I could find was written by San Francisco Chronicle staff writers and is currently on SFgate.com: A Family's Tragedy/Fumbles, missteps hindered search.

Here is Kim's W Post op-ed:

The Lessons In My Son's Death

By Spencer H. Kim

Saturday, January 6, 2007; Page A17

Early last month my son, James Kim, died of hypothermia in a snowy wilderness in Oregon after setting out on foot to seek help for his family, who were stranded in a car.

My son's death was a tragedy that could have been prevented. A wrong turn on a poorly marked wilderness road need not have resulted in the ordeal of James's wife and two daughters, nor his death while trying desperately to find help. I am sharing some of the hard-learned lessons that I took away from my family's trauma in the hope of making it less likely that others will suffer the same fate.

First, it is crucial that measures be adopted to ensure against mistaken access to potentially hazardous logging and private roads. Those responsible for the maintenance of such roads must be required to post clear signs warning against access. Governments should allocate sufficient resources to regularly monitor roadblocks designed to prevent access, and it should be a federal crime to tamper with such signs and barriers.

Such measures might not have stopped James and his family from being misled by a map that depicted the road they chose through the Coast Range as a major thoroughfare, but they would have prevented the ill-fated turn that led them into a maze of logging roads and across treacherous terrain that travelers never should have had access to in the first place.

Locals say mistaken access to the road in question is common, although a gate is at the entrance to the logging roads specifically to prevent unsuspecting travelers from wandering onto them. The appropriate federal agencies failed to perform their duty and lock the gate for the winter. James was not the first victim of an accidental detour in the same area, but with a few changes, he could be the last.

Second, Congress should change the law so that most recent credit card and phone-use records can be immediately released to the next of kin in the event of an emergency. Privacy laws are important to safeguard personal information, but there needs to be provision for exceptional access to information by relatives when it is critical to a family member's survival.

Four days passed before we even knew James and his family were missing. But because my family was unable to confirm credit card and phone-use information until days after their absence was discovered, the start of the search was needlessly delayed. Precious time and a precious life were lost. Privacy concerns kept both the hotel where James and his family last stayed and the restaurant where they last dined from sharing credit card records, thus denying us for days important clues that would have helped narrow the initial search area.

Similarly frustrating was that we did not know about a transmission into James's cellphone on the night his family became stranded until the evening of Dec. 1 -- three full days after the San Francisco Police Department was notified that James and his family were missing. Remarkably, this information was confirmed not by authorities but by conscience-driven cellphone company engineers who saw fit to volunteer their time. This information proved critical to significantly reducing the search area, and it allowed for the discovery and safe rescue of James's wife, Kati, and my granddaughters, Penelope and Sabine, less than two days later.

Had this information been confirmed sooner, rescue teams could have immediately focused the search operation, and James probably would have been rescued with his family and spared his doomed 16-mile quest to save them. What a difference a day would have made!

Third, steps should be taken to ensure that authorities are adequately trained for search-and-rescue operations, have a clear sense of their available resources and fully understand the procedures necessary to conduct an effective, well-coordinated search-and-rescue operation.

We are eternally grateful for the heroic efforts of the search-and-rescue teams and volunteers who risked their lives to save James and his family. But the search was plagued by confusion, communication breakdowns and failures of leadership until the Oregon State Police set up a command post. The media widely reported that leads that could have led to more timely discovery of the car were not pursued. Misinformation was rampant, diverting scarce resources. Air National Guard helicopters with sensitive heat-detecting technology languished on the tarmac for days, even after the cellphone-use information provided a better picture of where James and his family probably were.

Meanwhile, James hiked through the forest for two long, cold days and nights, and Kati and her children waited through two more days of freezing temperatures until private helicopters discovered and rescued them.

Finally, the Federal Aviation Administration classification code for Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFR) to limit media presence during a life-or-death search-and-rescue operation should be more strictly enforced. A TFR is used to restrict aircraft operations within designated areas to separate "non-participating" aircraft from those engaged in official activities, including search-and-rescue operations.

Unfortunately for James, aviation authorities acquiesced to media requests to relax restrictions and allowed low-altitude media flights in the area while the aerial search was still underway. This untimely and irrational decision caused many rescue helicopters to abandon their operations for one full afternoon due to dangerous conditions created by media airplanes. It took personal pleas to Washington to get restrictions reinstated. The search, not media interest, should be the top priority.

With his last heroic determination to rescue his family, James proved himself to be a man of action. My son deserves a legacy worthy of that man. As a tribute to him, I am determined to follow his lead and do all I can to prevent another senseless tragedy.

The writer lives in Thousand Oaks, Calif.