32-Year-Old Burning Man Participant Dies in Accident: Festival-Goers Stranded in Epic Traffic Jam
Authorities have identified the partygoer who passed away at the annual Burning male event as a 32-year-old male; thousands of trapped revelers now face an hours-long gridlock to leave the muddy grounds of the Black Rock desert.
At about 6:24 p.m., Leon Reece was discovered to be unconscious. Jerry Allen, the sheriff for Pershing County, released a statement on Monday evening.
An investigation is still being conducted because the reason of death still has not been identified.
Although Reece’s death was earlier ruled to have been unrelated to the weather, Allen said that the stormy weather made it more difficult to send rescue.
According to Allen’s statement, Pershing County dispatch received a call about a male individual who was unconscious and on the ground at the Burning Man Festival, and medical workers were performing CPR on him.
Access to the region and investigative attempts were hindered by the unusual rain event that was occurring on the Playa.
The male, later identified as 32-year-old Leon Reece, had already been declared dead by the festival doctor when Pershing County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrived.
He claimed that although deputies at the scene questioned witnesses and emergency personnel, they were unable to ascertain Reece’s exact cause of death at the time.
After that, the victim was sent for an autopsy to the Washoe County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Read Also: Gender Reveal Gone Wrong: Plane Crash Kills Pilot, Guests Horrified
Festival-Goers Stranded in Mud for Days, Health Concerns Arises
Allen additionally utilized his remarks to refute claims that there was an Ebola outbreak at the campsite.
Attendees had been trapped in the muddy desert for days when doctors had advised them to keep an eye on their health.
Visitors to festivals run the danger of hypothermia, food-borne infections, and COVID-19 because of stagnant water, pit potties, and cold weather, doctors told Business Insider.
In light of the flooding, the partygoers were also asked to practice food and water conservation.
But on Monday in the late afternoon, local authorities relaxed a travel ban, allowing them to finally depart Black Rock City.
On the five-mile dirt road leading to the closest freeway, festival attendees are currently snarled in a terrible traffic jam.
The early Tuesday evacuation travel time was estimated by the Burning Man Traffic account on the social networking platform X to be 6 hours, despite organizers’ requests for people to wait until later in the day.
Additionally, attendees were urged not to leave Black Rock Desert on foot like some others did during the weekend, including comedian Chris Rock and DJ Diplo.
According to a video uploaded on Instagram by Diplo, whose actual name is Thomas Wesley Pentz, the two had reportedly trekked six miles in the muck on Saturday before getting into the back of a fan’s pickup truck.
However, several partygoers continued to leave their cars and other belongings behind in an effort to leave the desert as soon as possible.
Read Also: Nashville’s Short-Term Rental Policy Under Review Alongside Noise Ordinance
Source: New York Post
