Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- -- A New Jersey man who died last week after a lengthy hike in Utah's redrock country while enrolled in a survival school was denied water in extreme heat, his brother said.
Dave Bushow, 29, of River Vale, N.J., died in the rugged Cottonwood Wash area east of Boulder, Utah. It was the first day of a 28-day survival course offered by Colorado-based Boulder Outdoor Survival School.
The group of 12 students and three instructors left a water source at 9 a.m. last Sunday and hiked all day in high temperatures without additional water. The group was several hundred yards from water when Dave Bushow passed out and died at about 7:30 p.m.
Dave Bushow did complain of cramps and fatigue, school CEO Josh Bernstein said, but "there was nothing about his symptoms different than the others. The instructors were assessing him. We know about dehydration. We know about heat exhaustion."
Survival school instructors carry water, but don't tell students. They make it available only in emergencies, Bernstein said.
Rob Bushow said his brother repeatedly told instructors he was thirsty.
"They told me he was cramping and complaining of fatigue. I said, 'Didn't that raise a red flag?' They told me they'd been doing this for a long time and nobody ever died."
It is the school's first fatality in 18 years, said Josh Bernstein, president and chief executive officer.
"This is a tragedy. Our condolences go out to the family," Bernstein said. "But we feel this is an anomaly."
That doesn't cut it for Bushow's family.
"Those people aren't going to get away with killing my brother. It's black and white. They let him die," Rob Bushow said.
Bernstein says the cause of death is unclear.
"We are trying to learn what happened. We are waiting for the autopsy and don't want to speculate," he said.
The school's course is rigorous. Bernstein said during the first two days, participants are not allowed to carry water or food.
The group is, however, eventually led to water and food in nature.
Rob Bushow said his brother was in excellent physical condition and made his living as a contract security operative, often working abroad in hazardous locations.
"The whole point is to teach them how to survive. But this is like rule No. 1 of what you don't do: Hike in the hot sun all day without water. He paid $3,000 to learn skills, not to be tortured to death," he said.
But participants sign up for the Boulder Outdoor Survival School knowing it will be physically challenging, Bernstein said.
"They know they will be pushed beyond their comfort zone and should be training for weeks and months beforehand," he said.
On the day of Bushow's death, however, Bernstein said the group was not pushing their limits, instead spending much of the time sitting in the shade. He said a four mile hike took nearly 10 hours to complete.
------
Information from: The Salt Lake Tribune, http://www.sltrib.com
(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
