Recovered/Located NV - Ronnie (found deceased) & Beverly Barker (taken for med care), RV trip, Stagecoach, 27 Mar 2022

[crussell821]

This advice makes me cringe. Check out the Cedar Fire of 2003, San Diego County. It was started by a hunter who thought he was lost, and followed this advice.

As a result, 15 people died, 2200 homes were burned. From what I’ve heard of the Barkers, I don’t think they would have wanted to cause that sort of destruction.

I think we’d honor them more by sharing less destructive advice. Never completely trust your GPS. Stay on the highway. Don’t take shortcuts. When in doubt, stop. Take plenty of food and water, specially water. Always let people know where you’re going, and make sure that they know that if they don’t hear from you, there’s trouble.

I remember that fire clearly. My car was covered in ash when I came out to drive to work in the morning, it was surreal. I never experienced anything like that before.

 

[Lilibet]

Folks, one thing to remember when you are stuck is; START A FIRE

You have all sorts of combustible materials: Gas, engine oil, tires. You may have a hubcab that can be used as a bowl for gasoline. You may have clothing or blankets that can be soaked in gasoline and spread over a bush. They would have had some scrubs trees / brush from the location they were at. Their trailor would have been full of flammable items: bedlinens, towels, paper goods. They likely had perhaps 10 or more gallons of fuel in that vehicle.

A burning tire or an engine oil fire is very smoky and will attract the most attention.

Anything to get someone up there to find you.

Before anyone starts a fire, please read about the Cedar Fire in San Diego county started by a lost hunter. It burned 273,000+ acres, 15 people died, people I know lost their homes, and the man who started the fire was arrested, although given a light sentence. I understand the inclination to save oneself by starting a fire, but in a years-long drought such as we have here in the west, starting a fire is just plain irresponsible, and the fire you start can kill you or others before you are rescued. There must be a better way.

Cedar Fire - Wikipedia
Investigation[edit]
Investigators determined that the fire was started by Sergio Martinez of West Covina, California, a novice hunter who had been hunting in the area and had become lost.[21] Martinez initially told investigators that he had fired a shot from his rifle to draw attention and that the shot had caused the fire,[22] but he later recanted and admitted he started the fire intentionally to signal rescuers. After gathering sticks and brush together, Martinez lit the brush and quickly lost control of the fire because of the heat, low humidity and low moisture content of the surrounding vegetation.

Martinez was charged in federal court on October 7, 2004 with setting the fire and lying about it.[23] In November 2005, a federal judge sentenced Martinez to six months in a work-furlough program and ordered him to complete 960 hours (40 days) of community service.[24] He also was sentenced to five years' probation and to pay $9,000 in restitution.[25] As part of the plea bargain, prosecutors dropped the charge of lying to investigators.[24]

ETA: I see others have mentioned the Cedar Fire.

 

[abanddb123]

I think starting a fire would not be the way to go. Ugg

 

[Awsi Dooger]

I didn't feel any emotion at all while watching the nephew's summary. Once he said the couple drove away in the Kia without taking any supplies I was in absolute disbelief. It's one thing to miss a turn due to poor road signs. All your advantages are still in place at that point. You've still got the functioning RV. You've got the car. You've got the ample supplies. But once you're stuck on the mountain, now the RV is compromised. You make the decision to abandon it. That's okay, but how in the world do you intentionally give away the vital provisions, the ones so necessary for your health, in case something else doesn't go to plan?

<modsnip>like authorities in the area, and the GPS developers, and the geniuses responsible for those road signs. Everything is margin for error. So many avoidable mistakes threw away their colossal margin for error. They didn't seem to understand basic geography, that they would be turning east and not west. Since it's late in the day the sun itself is a guideline. Notice where it is. If you are heading to Tucson area you don't want to be driving toward the sun's position. They apparently never studied the route to understand that they wouldn't be driving over a mountain range of that type. It's not surprising at all that once they unhitched the Kia they didn't know where to go.

Besides, this is gravel, as the nephew emphasized. That has puzzled me throughout. You're not dealing with mud in desert Nevada. It shouldn't be simple to get stuck in a Kia. Since they made so many other errors I'd guess he drove much too fast and compromised the vehicle, like in a depression, instead of taking it 5 mph if you have to, since now you're down to your one and only save.

I travel extensively and like to be fully prepared. I guess that's why I'm reacting that way. Study maps and particulars instead of blindly relying on some techno device that didn't exist when these roads were built. This gentleman needed to take that aspect to even greater extreme since he's driving with someone who is apparently immobile and uses a wheelchair. She's not going to be able to get outside the vehicle easily to guide and advise you during a 5-point turnaround, for example.

 

[SteveP]

Just a reminder, WS is a victim-friendly site, and just because Ronnie and Beverly's fate was not decided at someone else's hands, that does not make them any less victims. JMO

 

[mickey2942]

In the interview linked above, the nephew said they had their GPS set to "shortest distance" instead of "highway." I've made that mistake before, but luckily was in town and figured it out quickly.

That is the problem. You can't do that in the West. Ever. You have no clue where you could end up.

Someone mentioned that because it was Nevada, there was no mud...nope...this time of year the passes in Nevada still have snow/mud. And even in summer, the high passes can have mud.

Stay on the boring, dull highway. And still have a cooler, and a full tank of gas when you leave any town.

 

[Herat]

That is the problem. You can't do that in the West. Ever. You have no clue where you could end up.

Someone mentioned that because it was Nevada, there was no mud...nope...this time of year the passes in Nevada still have snow/mud. And even in summer, the high passes can have mud.

Stay on the boring, dull highway. And still have a cooler, and a full tank of gas when you leave any town.

They got stuck at an elevation of 8,000 ft. April can still be winter-like at that elevation and late season snow storms deposit snow at that elevation every year.

 

[Jinkasaurus]

In the 20 minute interview with their nephew posted in this thread, he states that the GPS problem is that they did not have it turned to the "highway" setting, which would have kept them on major highways apparently.

 

[wary]

They got stuck at an elevation of 8,000 ft. April can still be winter-like at that elevation and late season snow storms deposit snow at that elevation every year.

Right. That very moving interview even mentioned that she collected snow for them to melt and drink.

 

[GuyfromCanada]

ESMERALDA COUNTY, Nev. — Family members of an Indiana couple who had been missing for more than a week are trying to figure out how they got lost in Nevada’s high desert.

Beverly Barker survived, but her husband, Ronnie Barker, didn’t, KLAS reports.

Authorities say the 72-year-old was dead when a search team reached the couple Tuesday about 177 miles northwest of Las Vegas. They also say 69-year-old Beverley Barker was airlifted to a Reno hospital where she’s reportedly in good shape.

More at https://fox4kc.com/news/missing-couple-survived-in-car-for-7-days-before-one-died-other-rescued/

 

[mickey2942]

Just a reminder, WS is a victim-friendly site, and just because Ronnie and Beverly's fate was not decided at someone else's hands, that does not make them any less victims. JMO

I did not know these folks. But I do know a lot of "Snowbirds", folks who summer in Montana and winter in Arizona. Nice folks. I don't know them well, but honestly, I would hope that their families and friends are honest with them.

If they shouldn't be taking cross country trips, due to disabilities, age, I wish that their family would do an intervention. Or call the state DMV and ask that their parents have a new assessment, with a practical skill based driving test. Provide an assessment why you feel that is needed. The DMV will send them a notice requesting that they present for an updated exam. And they will not release your information.

We can't do "Monday Quarterbacking", but maybe this is a "wake up call" for other folks, who maybe are fine to drive to the store, but not across country in an RV. Maybe another family can take time to talk to their parents. Before planning a funeral.

 

[Kecharaeq2]

I did not know these folks. But I do know a lot of "Snowbirds", folks who summer in Montana and winter in Arizona. Nice folks. I don't know them well, but honestly, I would hope that their families and friends are honest with them.

If they shouldn't be taking cross country trips, due to disabilities, age, I wish that their family would do an intervention. Or call the state DMV and ask that their parents have a new assessment, with a practical skill based driving test. Provide an assessment why you feel that is needed. The DMV will send them a notice requesting that they present for an updated exam. And they will not release your information.

We can't do "Monday Quarterbacking", but maybe this is a "wake up call" for other folks, who maybe are fine to drive to the store, but not across country in an RV. Maybe another family can take time to talk to their parents. Before planning a funeral.

Where we live, we get the snowbirds coming up from Phoenix for the summer. My parents, in fact, are snowbirds (though my mom goes down for football and the start of baseball season… until it gets too hot). I think the most important thing that they can do is to be honest with themselves about their limitations. None of us want to get older but it’s important to always keep in mind, in what ways we have been effected by age & health issues. I can’t tell you, just how much I love the idea of the things like the personal locating devices and the Garmin RV app because it gives me a way to help keep my parents safe without sounding like I’m trying to boss or nag them.

 

[spcagrl]

I did not know these folks. But I do know a lot of "Snowbirds", folks who summer in Montana and winter in Arizona. Nice folks. I don't know them well, but honestly, I would hope that their families and friends are honest with them.

If they shouldn't be taking cross country trips, due to disabilities, age, I wish that their family would do an intervention. Or call the state DMV and ask that their parents have a new assessment, with a practical skill based driving test. Provide an assessment why you feel that is needed. The DMV will send them a notice requesting that they present for an updated exam. And they will not release your information.

We can't do "Monday Quarterbacking", but maybe this is a "wake up call" for other folks, who maybe are fine to drive to the store, but not across country in an RV. Maybe another family can take time to talk to their parents. Before planning a funeral.

I think this is just a wee bit “ageist”…….I am sure there are lots of folks out there who should not be driving anything at all, but Ron and Bev were evidently pretty experienced RVers, who had apparantly worked out a system that worked for them. This situation did not happen because they were a certain age. The whole sad disaster seems to be the result of a lack of “situational awareness”…..which sadly affects wide swathes of the population today, all ages and walks of life. Geography, physics, and nature are hard and unforgiving taskmasters, and every day humans blunder into disaster because they forget, or never learn, that wilderness is not all rainbows and unicorns.

 

[modesty blaise]

Oh how sad rip mr. Barker.

 

[Love Never Fails]

I didn't feel any emotion at all while watching the nephew's summary. Once he said the couple drove away in the Kia without taking any supplies I was in absolute disbelief. It's one thing to miss a turn due to poor road signs. All your advantages are still in place at that point. You've still got the functioning RV. You've got the car. You've got the ample supplies. But once you're stuck on the mountain, now the RV is compromised. You make the decision to abandon it. That's okay, but how in the world do you intentionally give away the vital provisions, the ones so necessary for your health, in case something else doesn't go to plan?

<modsnip>like authorities in the area, and the GPS developers, and the geniuses responsible for those road signs. Everything is margin for error. So many avoidable mistakes threw away their colossal margin for error. They didn't seem to understand basic geography, that they would be turning east and not west. Since it's late in the day the sun itself is a guideline. Notice where it is. If you are heading to Tucson area you don't want to be driving toward the sun's position. They apparently never studied the route to understand that they wouldn't be driving over a mountain range of that type. It's not surprising at all that once they unhitched the Kia they didn't know where to go.

Besides, this is gravel, as the nephew emphasized. That has puzzled me throughout. You're not dealing with mud in desert Nevada. It shouldn't be simple to get stuck in a Kia. Since they made so many other errors I'd guess he drove much too fast and compromised the vehicle, like in a depression, instead of taking it 5 mph if you have to, since now you're down to your one and only save.

I travel extensively and like to be fully prepared. I guess that's why I'm reacting that way. Study maps and particulars instead of blindly relying on some techno device that didn't exist when these roads were built. This gentleman needed to take that aspect to even greater extreme since he's driving with someone who is apparently immobile and uses a wheelchair. She's not going to be able to get outside the vehicle easily to guide and advise you during a 5-point turnaround, for example.

Wow. You are judgmental. You sound cold. I'm sorry to say that. I didn't even know about this case until @OldCop told me about it this afternoon while on another thread. I was on YouTube tonight and saw the nephew's interview. I cried my eyes out!

I don't care how much you have traveled. You weren't in their shoes. So please don't be so harsh.

 

[MistyWaters]

I think this is just a wee bit “ageist”…….I am sure there are lots of folks out there who should not be driving anything at all, but Ron and Bev were evidently pretty experienced RVers, who had apparantly worked out a system that worked for them. This situation did not happen because they were a certain age. The whole sad disaster seems to be the result of a lack of “situational awareness”…..which sadly affects wide swathes of the population today, all ages and walks of life. Geography, physics, and nature are hard and unforgiving taskmasters, and every day humans blunder into disaster because they forget, or never learn, that wilderness is not all rainbows and unicorns.

I agree, who has the right to tell others what they should or shouldn’t be doing (assuming it’s legal). Walking alone in the wilderness, skydiving, mountain climbing, sailing across the ocean or seniors RVing it across the country all fall into the same category for me - we take risks acceptable to each of us virtually everyday and I’m sure we all know full well that life offers no guarantees. JMO

 

[Kimkimba]

It’s so sad to me that Ronnie died the day before they were found. I’m just having trouble with that.

Bev sounds like a remarkable woman. Praying that she will be okay emotionally. I can’t imagine being in that situation with my husband dying. Prayers for the family.

 

[Kecharaeq2]

It’s so sad to me that Ronnie died the day before they were found. I’m just having trouble with that.

Bev sounds like a remarkable woman. Praying that she will be okay emotionally. I can’t imagine being in that situation with my husband dying. Prayers for the family.

From what their nephew said in the interview he gave last night, it sounded like a very peaceful passing. He almost described it as a religious experience.

 

[zecats]

From what their nephew said in the interview he gave last night, it sounded like a very peaceful passing. He almost described it as a religious experience.

For him hopefully so. It was stated he had a strong faith. Maybe more difficult for those left behind. Imo

 

[SimplyCass]

Missing couple’s family frustrated with local law enforcement | KLAS

I am interested in knowing if there are lessons to be learned/changes to make for SAR and missing persons procedures.

The biggest issue (most likely) was the long delay in issuing a Silver Alert because the NV policy didn't allow for non-residents and it took them a few days to make an exception. Obviously that should be an easy change to make, a quicker process for exceptions..

One of the recent stories (source) says that Ronnie/Beverly saw other cars, including another RV, as they were driving along rt. 265. If a Silver Alert had been issued quicker, would that have helped? On the FB group, some truckers mentioned checking their dashcams...it was also mentioned that it was such footage (from a dashcam) that led to the big break for the Gabby Petito case.

Generally speaking, is it too much of an overreaction to advise RV/motorhome drivers to consider getting a PLB? (personal locator beacon). Has that been advised before?