Arkansas woman dies in Oklahoma recreating Mormon trek

[_Jonah]

And if the heat don't get ya - http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=3994955

[_I have a question]

And if the heat don't get ya - http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=3994955

Just 10 minutes after leaving their camp, a pickup truck struck them from behind. Trooper Cameron Roden of the Utah Highway Patrol said, "The 13-year-old female was behind the handcart walking and was struck by the vehicle. The vehicle then veered to the left where it struck a 74-year-old male who saw the vehicle coming and was trying to flag down the driver, to get his attention to stop, when he was struck and killed as well. Both died on scene."

The driver of a pickup truck, which was also headed up the canyon, was blinded by the sun and crashed into the back of the handcart.

[_just me]

And if the heat don't get ya - http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=3994955

Well, that was 8 years ago. You had me thinking that this just happened.

[Guest]

Blair has not been the only person with a heat-related issue from the camp. Five minors were taken by EMS for treatment last week, three of which were unconscious at the time EMS arrived.
http://bartlesvilleradio.com/pages/news ... n-pawhuska

Unbelievable.
This is gross incompetence and child endangerment.
How can a parent put their child in harms way like this?

Stop the treks and stop them now.

[_Symmachus]

Yes, the stupid Church and its lawyers, blah blah.

My question: when did the Mormons ever trek through Oklahoma? Or do people just dress up as a 19th century pioneer and start trekking about where the hell they happen to live? I always thought these weird commemorative treks were supposed to be imitative of the actual route.

Still, this has to be really hard. It requires no thought to damn ChurchCo, obviously, but imagine you're the local bishop or one of the people organizing this. I'm sure everyone was well-intentioned. Now someone's dead, and some people are going to spend a few decades mourning their daughter and more than a few mourning their mother. Those good intentions have cocooned into a guilt that will be as tenacious as death itself. That's going to be one awkward Sunday coming up.

[_Quasimodo]

Unbelievable.
This is gross incompetence and child endangerment.
How can a parent put their child in harms way like this?

Stop the treks and stop them now.

Just checked. On June 20th in Tulsa the maximum temperature was 95 degrees. The maximum humidity was 93%. It was gross incompetence. Who officiated this nightmare?

[_Lemmie]

My question: when did the Mormons ever trek through Oklahoma? Or do people just dress up as a 19th century pioneer and start trekking about where the hell they happen to live? I always thought these weird commemorative treks were supposed to be imitative of the actual route.

I started looking into it a little bit, and it turns out the handcart trek camps are church owned sites. They charge $15-$20 per person for a 3-5 day trek, the camps accommodate about 600-1,600 people at a time. For that price the camps typically provide the location, running water at the main camp, and bathrooms/portajohns. Most seem to operate about three months out of the year. There are about 10 sites, across Oklahoma, Wyoming, Washington, California, Utah, Florida and Argentina.

My guess is senior missionaries run them and therefore there is almost no overhead cost, so with a gross of I'm guessing 1/2 to 1 million yearly, it's a tidy little way to make the farmland they own profitable.

https://www.lds.org/locations/treks/lis ... g=eng&_r=1

[_Lemmie]

Unbelievable.
This is gross incompetence and child endangerment.
How can a parent put their child in harms way like this?

Stop the treks and stop them now.

Just checked. On June 20th in Tulsa the maximum temperature was 95 degrees. The maximum humidity was 93%. It was gross incompetence. Who officiated this nightmare?

Plus the 5 juveniles, 3 unconscious, that paramedics had already carted away to the hospital prior to the death of Ms. Blair.

[_Jersey Girl]

I'm sorry, but screw this!

[_Lemmie]

Yes, the stupid Church and its lawyers, blah blah.

I think it's a little more insidious than that. A lawyer who speaks for a family is assumed to be protecting the best interests of that family. The statement she put out, however, is clearly protecting the lds church and organizers.
That combined with her volunteer position within the stake where she works with the Youth programs is so clearly a conflict of interest that I would be surprised if the firm she works for allows it to continue.