A 19-year-old man trying to hike a portion of the Pacific Crest Trail from the Mexico border to Idyllwild died Thursday after his father alerted rescuers that he was struggling near Lake Morena.
The victim’s father made an emergency call shortly before 1:30 p.m. after speaking to his son by phone and learning that he was not well, according to Cal Fire.
When public safety personnel met up with the youth off Lake Morena Drive in the Campo area, he was alert and talking, Capt. Kendal Bortisser of Cal Fire said.
His condition soon worsened, and he passed out and stopped breathing. Medics tried in vain to revive him before declaring him dead at the scene, Bortisser said.
The county Medical Examiner’s Office will determine the young man’s cause of death. His name was not released.
– City News Service