Jeeping death in Utah

[Coreshot]

Saw this in the SLTrib today

Arizona man dies in off-roading accident

An Arizona man died when he lost control of the vehicle he was driving in the Coral Pink Sand Dunes area. Ron Duncan, 59, of Boulder City died in the incident about 6 p.m. Tuesday, said Washington County Chief Sheriff's Deputy Rob Tersigni. Duncan and another man were "Jeeping" in the area and were trying to go up a hill, but got stopped. The other man backed down the hill, and Duncan attempted to back down the hill but lost control and was ejected, he said. The friend drove to where he could find cell phone service and called for help. Duncan was dead at the scene.


Yet another reminder to wear your seatbelt.

 

[sibeta]

Saw this in the SLTrib today

Arizona man dies in off-roading accident

An Arizona man died when he lost control of the vehicle he was driving in the Coral Pink Sand Dunes area. Ron Duncan, 59, of Boulder City died in the incident about 6 p.m. Tuesday, said Washington County Chief Sheriff's Deputy Rob Tersigni. Duncan and another man were "Jeeping" in the area and were trying to go up a hill, but got stopped. The other man backed down the hill, and Duncan attempted to back down the hill but lost control and was ejected, he said. The friend drove to where he could find cell phone service and called for help. Duncan was dead at the scene.


Yet another reminder to wear your seatbelt.

i read that too, i thought they said he was drinking.. but who knows.

 

[BlackSheep]

here's what ksl had to say about it.

Nevada Man Dies in Off-roading Accident
Aug. 27, 2004
HILDALE, Utah (AP) -- A Nevada man is dead after losing control of his Jeep as he drove up sand dunes in Southern Utah.

Washington County Sheriff's deputies say Ronald Duncan of Boulder City died from his injuries after being thrown from the rolling vehicle Tuesday night.

Investigators say he was driving the Jeep up a hill near Kane Beds and was following another man when the man got stopped and began backing down the hill. When Duncan began backing down, he lost control and was ejected. His companion went for help but when he returned, Duncan had already died.

Investigators believe the 59-year-old may have been intoxicated but they are awaiting blood test results.

(Copyright 2004 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

 

[James K]

too bad

seatbelts, seatbelts, seatbelts


why throw the drinking thing if there is no proof of it

 

[EZRhino]

Because anyone that dies as stupidly as that must be drinking. Besides it's a scapegoat.

EZ

 

[chevtech]

He wasn't drinking. Toxicology report=nada.

 

[my4thjeep]

http://www.jeepsunlimited.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=561021&perpage=20&pagenumber=1

 

[James K]

He wasn't drinking. Toxicology report=nada.

good

 

[SUPERFLY]

seat belts are the key, i rolled my cruiser (full roll, not some wussy tip over)and theres no way id be alive with out my seat belt

 

[Samuraiman]

Communications Importance

[ Arizona man dies in off-roading accident

. The friend drove to where he could find cell phone service and called for help. Duncan was dead at the scene.


Yet another reminder to wear your seatbelt.[/QUOTE]


Yes wear your seatbeld but, as many as you know one of the most important things in the Back country in communication's and preparedness. I am very passionate about good communications and feel that many if not all people in the back country should have some sort of good communication. The best and most reliable form of communication in the rough to this date is still Ham/Amateur Radio. In most places throughout the state you as a Ham operator can access reapeaters on the radio, some of wich have phone patches to make phone calls. I don't know that quicker communications would have helped in Rons situation but may and will help in other situations. I personally have used my radio to make 1 emergency call and there was no doubt that this saved 2 peoples lives, which happened in Blacksmith fork Canyon. Due to a head on collision between a car and a motor cycle. This was a great experience for me although you hate to see accidents, I was just glad to be in the right place at the right time.

As an example at the U4WDA summer run in Logan, my brother was leading the pack and the span between him and the end of the group was quite a gap. I decided to fall back as the tail gunner because the distance was too much for the Cb's to handle. We were then able to use our ham radio's to comminicate with crystal clear sound to let him know what was going on or if the group had stopped. If anyone is interested in you license, you are no longer required to pass a test on Morse Code for your first license. This has been the major reason most people don't get there license because they can't pass the code. If your interested in this let me know and I will point you to the right contacts to get you tested and on the Ham Radio. PS THE TEST IS EASY>

 

[bryce]

i agree
when we were at the top of millville canyon during the u4wda run my brother was talking to j. w. in SLC.
and that was using simplex (radio to radio) no repeater stations
crystal clear
the furthest i have talked on a cb was 30 miles and then i could hardly follow the conversation

i was also at the accident up blacksmith fork that samuraiman is referring to
i am glad that the gentleman who lost his nose on the windsheild didnt have to wait for someone to drive 20 min into town to make a call
he was also lucky enough to have a first responder on the scene

i have my license and if you want the cheapest and 2nd best comms out there then go get your license

sat phones maybe better

when i went and took my test there was a 5 year old girl that took her test that day and she passed

 

[Rick B]

I had an amateur license many years ago, lost interest in it & let the license expire, I think it was 1982 when it expired. I'm really not interested in getting another one.

Yes amateur radio would be the ideal, but the vast majority of people won't or can't do what is necessary to get the license (most people won't even bother to learn the rules & etiquett for offroading) & the equipment is much more expensive & harder to find than a CB. While you may feel the test is easy, that will not be the case for everyone, how many people do you know that still can't program their VCR? Do you really think they would be able to pass the test for an amateur license?

The reality is that there are many places where communication with anyone farther away than you can see is not possible, even with your 2 meter amateur radio. It's an assumed risk when you head into the backcountry. IMHO emergency first aid training is the most important thing that most of us could do to make things better in the case of an accident.

This guy apparantly was not wearing a seat belt, that was his personal choice & he was more than old enough to understand the potential risk involved in choosing not to use the belt, he has been exhonerated in the suspicion that he had been drinking. He wouldn't be alive today even if his buddy had been able to call for help immediately. Perhaps his death will cause others to rethink their decision to not use their belts, but I feel that adults should have the freedom to make the choice for themselves. At least he died doing something he loved, too many people don't get that kind of end to their lives.

 

[mbryson]

"This guy" is kind of the ultimate stud, cool guy. I didn't realize I knew him until a friend e-mailed me this morning. I hadn't put 2 + 2 together, I guess. Great guy on the trail or afterwards. He went by 'TJRon' on some of the bulletin boards. Godspeed.......

 

[Samuraiman]

22 Years since you were licensed. Not even in the same league

I had an amateur license many years ago, lost interest in it & let the license expire, I think it was 1982 when it expired. I'm really not interested in getting another one.

Yes amateur radio would be the ideal, but the vast majority of people won't or can't do what is necessary to get the license (most people won't even bother to learn the rules & etiquett for offroading) & the equipment is much more expensive & harder to find than a CB.



As you said this is the IDEAL COMMMUNICATIONS. It does not take hardly any motivation to get a license and learn how to run a radio. Once it is programmed by yourself or someone who has the knowledge your done with the brain work. All radios are programmable right from your computer and most take minimal knowledge. As Bryce mentioned a 5 yr old did pass the test. How hard could that be 35 question multiple choice. As far as the equipment as you may not know there have been major technological advancements in radios since the 22 yrs that you have been licensed. And no they don't have cystals anymore, just so you know. Radios for 2 meters are almost all under 200 dollars as low as 100 for the off brands. These are high power 55 to 75 watt radios. They are readily available at www.aesham and you could have one in your greasy little hands next day as there are stores in Vegas and in Northern Utah. Let alone the hundreds of new reapeaters and links that connect the 2 meter ham bands throughout the state of Utah and the Western states. Not to mention the other bands available. I can think of very few spots that I have ever been wheeling that I was not able to reach a ham radio repeater. Absolutely anywhere in Northern you can definetly hit a repeater. I do agree that seatbelts should be worn and that there is no doubt in this situation that communications would have done no good, but as I mentioned that there will be other times that it may save someones live as happened to me. I am sorry that you let your ham license lapse, we need good operators.

 

[bryce]

just like to add that if you was to buy a cobra 29 ltd classic (cb)
you would be looking at about $120.00 after all is said and done
that on a good night reaches 30 miles
for another $40.00 you could have a radio that would reach st george from logan
(if all of the links are working)
if i could only choose one form of communication it would be the 2 meter
there is more homework involved
you need to know what frequencies to use
need to know where to use them
i take 3 forms of communictions when i go out
but maybe it would be a bad idea to get everyone using 2meter
i would hate to share the band width with everyone who has a cb

 

[DevinB]

Another thread on the death, including pics of the trip up until that fateful moment, by the person who was the one to run and call from his cell. Jeeps Unlimited Thread (click me)

 

[kirk86CJ]

Wow, I was under the impression that he was on the actual sand dunes when this happened. I didn't know that they had done the Caanan mountain trail. Has anyone heard where the accident actually happened?

Also, this is the trail where a couple guys from St. George/Cedar got some tickets by the BLM earlier this spring. One guy fought the ticket and won.

As an FYI, this in an awesome trail.

 

[natius]

Wow, I was under the impression that he was on the actual sand dunes when this happened. I didn't know that they had done the Caanan mountain trail. Has anyone heard where the accident actually happened?

Also, this is the trail where a couple guys from St. George/Cedar got some tickets by the BLM earlier this spring. One guy fought the ticket and won.

As an FYI, this in an awesome trail.

I am also curious to hear more details of what happened. It sounds like he was no amatuer in the sport-leaving me to wonder what went wrong.

 

[mbryson]

I am also curious to hear more details of what happened. It sounds like he was no amatuer in the sport-leaving me to wonder what went wrong.

Definitely not an amatuer. He knew his vehicle and capabilities real well from experience (it's been rolled at least one other time that I know of and I wouldn't be surprised if it's happened 5-6 times). I'm sure he just made a mistake (he didn't drink on the trail, but I'm not sure I've ever seen him wear his seatbelt or not {never noticed, to be honest}). His wife is an awesome gal and she's been very surprised/impressed by the internet Jeep community response. I know the guy that was with him a little. Also a great guy, but I'm not sure if many of us will know exactly what happened. He's pretty shaken up (understandably) and has just gotten around to sharing some of the experience. If the story comes out, great, if it doesn't, I'm just happy to share some of the same trail dust with Ron and his 'gay jade' TJ.

 

[Jeromy]

Definitely not an amatuer. He knew his vehicle and capabilities real well from experience (it's been rolled at least one other time that I know of and I wouldn't be surprised if it's happened 5-6 times). I'm sure he just made a mistake (he didn't drink on the trail, but I'm not sure I've ever seen him wear his seatbelt or not {never noticed, to be honest}). His wife is an awesome gal and she's been very surprised/impressed by the internet Jeep community response. I know the guy that was with him a little. Also a great guy, but I'm not sure if many of us will know exactly what happened. He's pretty shaken up (understandably) and has just gotten around to sharing some of the experience. If the story comes out, great, if it doesn't, I'm just happy to share some of the same trail dust with Ron and his 'gay jade' TJ.

Ron was a great guy. Very sad to se him go. This is very shocking. He was a master behind the wheel of his jeep. Usualy leading a bunch of us newbies around down in moab. He loved Pritchett. I will miss wheeling with him a bunch....

prayers to his family.