TRAGIC

Teen Hiker Dies in Texas Heatwave, Stepdad Killed in Car Crash Getting Help

Officials said temperatures at Texas’ Big Bend National Park had reached 119 degrees.

The record-breaking Texas heatwave claimed two members of the same family after a teenage boy collapsed and died while hiking in Big Bend National Park and his stepfather was killed in a car crash while trying to get help. USA Today reports that the 14-year-old fell ill and fainted while hiking with his brother and stepfather along the Marufo Vega Trail. After raising the alarm, the 31-year-old stepfather set off back to their vehicle while the brother, 21, tried to carry the boy to safety. Rangers and border agents arrived at the scene to find the teenager had died before launching a search for his stepfather. “The Marufo Vega Trail winds through extremely rugged desert and rocky cliffs within the hottest part of Big Bend National Park,” park officials told the newspaper. “No shade or water makes this strenuous trail dangerous to attempt in the heat of summer.”