- Heartwarming: Volunteers repaint elderly man's home following teens' hurtful remarks
- Families call off search for missing teens lost at sea for 16 days
- NASA photo of Mars has everyone talking: Do you see a creature?
- After this waitress gave a free meal to two tired firefighters, she found her kindness rewarded in spades
- Sad news: Sam and Nia, couple in viral pregnancy video, announce miscarriage
A French family’s outing to the White Sands National Monument in New Mexico ended in tragedy, but the couple’s son likely survived because of his parents’ actions.
According to investigators, the family brought two 20-ounce bottles of water on a 5-mile hike along the Alkali Flat trail when temperatures were around 100 degrees.
The parents made the son drink two sips of water for every one sip they each took.
Due to the high temperatures and lack of shade, White Sands officials recommend carrying a gallon of water per person. Officials say signs are posted in various languages, including French, about precautions that should be taken when hiking.
The surviving child told authorities that his mother, Ornella Steiner, 51, began to feel ill and may have injured her knee. She told the father and son to go ahead and she would return to the car. She collapsed shortly after heading back, but the father and son were unaware that she was in trouble.
The father, David Steiner, 42, collapsed after hiking approximately 2,000 more feet. The son stayed with the father’s body until rescuers arrived.
Rescuers found the mother first. They used the photos on her camera and footprints in the sand to locate the father and son.
Investigators believe it is the extra water that the boy consumed that helped him survive in relatively good condition.
The boy’s grandmother flew to Albuquerque to be reunited with her grandson.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
About the Author
