32-Year-Old Maryland Woman Dies While Hiking On Billy Goat Trail
POTOMAC, Md. (WJZ) -- A 32-year-old Severn woman died after suffering from a medical emergency while she was hiking along the Billy Goat Trail near Great Falls in Maryland.
Montgomery County Fire and U.S. Park Police officers responded to the trail in the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park around 1:55 p.m. Saturday after there was a report of an unconscious female suffering from a medical emergency.
Paramedics performed CPR on her and the U.S. Park Police helicopter airlifted her to Suburban Hospital, but she was pronounced dead by staff.
Park Police identified the woman as Rachel Parkerson.
The cause of death was accidental and an attributing factor was hyperthermia. Hyperthermia is when your body temperature greatly above normal.
Maryland was among the state's dealing with a heatwave over the weekend with temps reaching 100 degrees in Baltimore.
Parkerson is the fifth person to have a heat-related death in Maryland this year. Two people died last week due to the excessive heat.