A French visitor died in California’s Death Valley National Park last week after he and a travel companion abandoned their disabled car to seek help.
According a statement from the National Park Service, Pierre Michel Formosa, 68, and his travel partner, who is also French, were driving on rugged West Side Road on Aug. 17 when their vehicle became lodged in mud. The pair left their vehicle to find assistance, traversing salt flats toward Badwater Road, a two-lane highway encircled by mountains.