A Nevada national park known as the deadliest park in the U.S. is on track to record a shocking number of deaths this year.
The Lake Mead National Recreation Area has one of the most scenic shorelines that spans over 750 miles and has long been a hotspot for fishing, camping, boating and swimming.
But while the park may look like a peaceful retreat, it has accounted for a startling number of non-animal-caused fatalities every year and expects to record its highest death toll in 2024.
Experts believe that motor vehicle crashes and drowning are the two main reasons why a record-breaking number of deaths are being recorded in the area.
On average, about 18 people die inside the recreation area each year, according to data obtained by 8NewsNow.
The Lake Mead National Recreation Area has one of the most scenic shorelines that spans over 750 miles and has long been a hotspot for fishing, camping, boating and swimming
As of June 2024, the Park has recorded 19 deaths - which is the same number that was reported in July 2023, a full month later.
On a wider scale, the recreation area has reported 317 deaths between 2007 to 2024. The Grand Canyon National Park came in second with 198 deaths in the same time frame.
According to a study conducted by Connecticut Trial Firm, 56 people have drowned in the park between 2013 and 2023.
The lake is known to have aggressive winds that can alter current speed, temperature and waves that can negatively impact swimmers.
The lake is known to have aggressive winds that can alter current speed, temperature and waves which can negatively impact swimmers
Despite such risks, there are also no lifeguards stationed near the lake
John Haynes, a National Park Service public information officer explained: 'You think you're jumping out of your boat for a quick swim and you're going to swim back to your boat.
'But because of high winds, all of a sudden, your boat is drifting away and you're stuck in the middle of the lake.'
Despite such risks, there are also no lifeguards stationed near the lake.
According to Haynes, most of the drowning deaths are a result of visitors not following safety protocols - namely by not wearing a life jacket while in the water.
This data comes months after Lake Mead officials began warning visitors not to submerge their heads below the waters of a popular hot spring near the Hoover Dam over fears it's contaminated with a brain-eating amoeba.
Most of the drowning deaths are a result of visitors not following safety protocols - namely by not wearing a life jacket while in the water.
Visitors to the Hoover Dam and the hot springs of Lake Mead have been told not to submerge their heads in the nearby hot springs due to a possible brain-eating amoeba
N. fowleri is a brain-eating amoeba that causes the sudden onset of serious symptoms and often leads to brain damage and death
The deadly organism Naegleria fowleri has been found lurking in the hot springs when conditions are right, officials at the Lake Mead National Recreation Area have warned.
'Naegleria fowleri has been found in hot springs,' read a statement released this week.
'This amoeba enters through the nose and can cause a deadly infection that causes a sudden and severe headache, fever, and vomiting. It is advised to avoid diving, splashing water, or submerging your head in hot spring water.'
The death of two-year-old Woodrow Turner Bundy in July was attributed to a brain-eating amoeba, which is so deadly that only four people in the US have ever caught it and lived to tell the tale.
