[azdesertfather]

Hiker found dead on Thunderbird Park trail
by Sasha Malekooti - Apr. 23, 2009 10:22 AM
The Arizona Republic

A man in his 40s was found dead on a mountain at Thunderbird Park near 59th Avenue and Pinnacle Peak Wednesday evening.

A hiker found the man around 5 p.m. on one of the trails, about a half of a mile into the trail. The man was not breathing and didn't have a heartbeat, said Capt. Shelly Jamison with the Phoenix Fire Department.

Phoenix Fire Department officials were able to help the hiker perform CPR on the man by coaching him through the procedure on the phone before they were able to arrive at the scene, Jamison said.

Both Phoenix and Glendale units were dispatched, and officials continued CPR on the man once they arrived, Jamison said.

The medical examiner was then called out, and police continued the investigation after the man was taken away, Jamison said.

Authorities believe the man was hiking alone Wednesday night and could have had a medical issue such as a heart attack, Jamison said.

[big_load]

I don't like the way that's written, although the authorities might be as responsible as the author. We've already been told he was found dead, so stating that he wasn't breathing and didn't have a heartbeat is redundant. Regardless of the proximate cause, becoming dead is a medical issue in the absolute and unconditional sense. "Medical issue" apparently means "natural causes" here, but to use it in such a way would imply that a bullet wound, for example, is not a medical issue, which is not how I'd view it if I happened to have one.

[Sredfield]

A product of AZ public education system?