The fact that James even did that 16 mile trek through seriously gnarly winter Oregon terrain shows the grit humans have when we need to work hard. He did the best he possibly could. RIP James Kim.
Shit they would not have found his family if he never left on foot. Yeah he died but the only reason they found his family alive was the fact he left on foot leaving foot prints. He did what he set out to do
There were no vandals, actually. The county later admitted the road is kept unlocked for hobbyists and hunters to use in the winter. However, Kati Kim later clarified that they were not misled or took a wrong turn. They drove up the proper route, but it was blocked by snow. When they returned to the intersection, rather than turning around, they made the decision to use the second road, assuming it also led to the coast. They should not have started on an unfamiliar route at night.
That was by far the worst decision they made. I'll never understand what the thinking was there, why not just take Bear Creek road back the way you came and stay at a hotel in Roseburg or something. But whatever mistakes James Kim made he paid for and then some, I cannot imagine what the last few hours of his life must have been like, knowing he's going to die in the middle of nowhere and his family as well, and ultimately it would be his own fault. As a father that must be horrific to deal with
I had never heard that before that they took both forks of that road. They did so many things wrong, it’s important to learn lessons from their mistakes. It is rather ridiculous that the sheriff said “James Kim did nothing wrong”. We need to learn from those mistakes, not pretend that they did everything right just because we feel sorry for their loss.
I had the same wish too, that he could come back to this world even just for one day, just so he could be with the family that truly misses him. RIP James. I never knew you in person, but I'm certain you were a beautiful human being.
@@MeneTekelUpharsin Yea the wife must have felt horrible and just desperately clinging on to hope. I have watched some bits of survival series and the last thing I would do is cross rivers. Regardless he was brave and did what he thought was right.
If James was leaving a trail, I would think he was doing it to find his way back to the car if he found help. It sounds to me like he was more concerned about his family being found than him.
People are wondering how a smart guy like James would get himself in a situation like that. Well, even smart people make dumb decisions. He should have stayed on the road. Instead he choose to cut through into the canyons were the terrain is much harsher and unforgiving. He wasn't equipped for that. Why not just go back where you came from? His body was found less than a mile from the car, so basically he just walked in a circle. If he stayed on bear camp road. He would still be alive. because he eventually would have made it back to civilization and flagged down someone. They never should have been there in the first place. Never drive on unfamiliar roads at night.
I just watch this last night on the sixth sence it so sad it touch my heart. little sabine so cute if I have one wish I wish james can come back. I'm truely proud of james he a hero.
And that's why after a week, he tried to save his family. People will say it was wrong to leave the car, but here's another saying- Till you've walked in another mans shoes....
That park ranger, Brink, said that the Kim's made a lot of good decisions. He could not be more wrong. Almost every decision James Kim made led to their predicament and his eventual death. 1. His decision to take Bear Camp Road off of Highway 5 after they missed the exit they actually wanted. 2. They stopped at a gas station/store to ask directions with less than a half tank of gas and he didn't fill up. 3. Their decision to not stock up on some food before driving to the coast. 4. Their decision to take the right fork off of Bear Camp Road instead of the left fork that the map clearly showed. 6. Their decision to continue driving down the narrow, dark, desolate road strewn with rocks and boulders instead of turning around to stay closer to the main road. 7. Their decision to burn their tires on their car. 8. Their decision not to bring a GPS with them nor a charger for their cellphone. 9. Kim's decision to leave the only shelter they had and head out into unfavorable weather conditions when he had no clue where he was going. 10. Their initial decision to use Highway 5 instead of staying on 101 which would have avoided any dangerous routes. Virtually every decision Kim made was the wrong decision. As a result his fate was unavoidable. I feel for his family. RIP, Mr. Kim.
Bob don’t know if you’ll see my post . Why did James go off the Bear Canyon Road down towards the river? Was he delirious? I love the open road, was a nomad for 3 years … I do my homework…. I remember when the Kim’s were lost … I followed the story endlessly, flabbergasted by the decisions they made … such a sad story ..
@@zorazorazorzzora8333 when fatigued and dehidrated, you tend to hallucinate - he was probably too cold and simply thought going lower in elevation might give him a better chance at making it
@Jose Stickman thank you, finally someone who understands that it was not solely James Kim's fault, she was the navigator and missed the sign, she was the one who suggested they take Bear Creek road to the coast, ect. There is plenty of blame to go around
People always like to talk about all of the mistakes made in stories like this, which is important, but also often ignorant of circumstance. These mistakes compound. People become increasingly desperate, panicked and weakened by external and internal forces. This man's family was found safe. When he left the vehicle in seek of help, that was his mission. I wish he would've stayed with them, but he had no way of knowing what we know now. He wanted to save them.
I totally agree. Everyone pointing fingers are also guilty of making bad decisions. I know I am, I've made bad decisions that thankfully I had ways out of. We are a society of finger pointing, of looking BACK on something and saying "well you should have done this"...how convenient? How much easier is it to look back on the past and point fingers than it is to actually BE IN THE MOMENT itself? sad.
I just so sad... Even to this day almost two years later I still feel really heartbroken and I didn't even know him personally, just a few editor reviews and the crave video blog with Veronica.
his job-- the company he was working for was into software- its kind of ironic that he didnt have some tech thing to help him-- transponder ,somthing ., we all know cell phones have dead spots no signals. oregon has some tough long roads
I still remember years ago , the readers digest had a diary and a story , about a man , found in the van of a dead man , it tracked 17 days , they found the van , in the spring thaw , he was dead , he got stranded up there , in the winter ,.....
They had been cautioned on the Oregon state map and by road signs on Bear Camp Road not to follow that route. They didn't miss the Oregon Route 42 exit from I-5 inadvertently. The exit is well marked and signed on the interstate. Kati Kim told investigators that she suggested the Bear Camp Road route to James as she presumed it must be similar to the scenic back routes she used to take from University of Oregon in Eugene to the coast. They had a $200 reservation that night at the Tu Tu Tum lodge at Gold Coast and stood to lose it if they didn't arrive there.
It's pretty clear that James had no intention of making it back to the car unless he got lucky and found someone. He knew the safest bet was for his family to stay put, but still decided to improve the odds by leaving. This was a decision that entirely focused on saving his family where self preservation was not a major consideration. I'm pretty certain if the children were not in the car he would have stayed put, but that wasn't the case and he ultimately sacrificed himself.
I live in southern Oregon , I once had a women in the store ask me for directions to bear camp road while l I was in line at the check out counter at the store , it was Dec. I would not give her directions , ,..... she was from southern California , she just not would get it , that road can be deadly , in the winter time , and James Kim was not the first person to die up there in the winter time ,.....many have , they get stranded and freeze to death ,.....
Bob, I think it's safe to assume that if you need to ask for directions on how to get there, then you are completely unprepared to go there. I live up in BC and we all take the logging roads very seriously, it's ridiculously dangerous during the winter time.
it was of the first things my mother and father told me , when I moved here , you don't take bear camp road in the winter , I have been here over 24 years , and have only been part way up bear camp road 2 times in Aug when I was camping , ,
7 лет назад+4
Don't drive through the sierras, forest, etc, in winter. There were reports that year was a brutal winter. Don't leave late at night, they left late. Stay on main roads, main highways, main freeways, etc. If you see no one on the road, unmaintained roads, forks, no signage, you're unsure, backtrack, and go back, hopefully to main roads, not deeper into unknown territory. Study online and paper maps before venturing out, call the locals. Maps are not always correct or deceiving. Do not cross a desolate wilderness forest in winter. Have fuel, winter gear, food, water, emergency kits, beacon, back up chargers, compass, tell someone your plan, time, and routes, be able to make a fire, etc. Weather changes fast. Fine one second, snowed in soon. Run out of fuel, you are stuck. In the city, your mistakes are salvageable, in the middle of nowhere, your mistakes mean death. Ask yourself, if I am stuck, how long would my supplies and food last? Someone on this thread said paper maps said the route looked fine (Bear Camp Road.) A satellite view of that area and having to cross west through a wilderness forest in winter would have me back out of that plan. Things can easily take a wrong turn in the middle of nowhere. If you go through mountainous roads or difficult terrain in the winter, the time it takes multiplies ten fold.
Courageous? This man did almost everything he could to get his family killed! He was no hero. This story proves you can be tech savvy and still be a moron.
@@bobbarker7733 dammm you’re such an idiot and ignorant! He still saved his family at the end even if he’s the one first to get his family lost! I’m sure you would do the same thing as him for walking out and looking for help leaving footprints too!
@@bobbarker7733 well we all make mistakes and will continue to make mistakes. You're in idiot for all the mistakes you are about to make in the future. Fair?
Such a tragedy 💔 I just don’t understand how you could choose to drive down a strange road, into the wilderness, on a cold, snow stormy night, with 2 babies?! That was a VERY unwise decision.
Yeah I can understand looking on a map and thinking that Bear Creek road could take you from I-5 to the coast, but once they hit snow and had to turn around I cannot fathom why they would just take that right fork having no idea where it is or goes. And they had a map, no less. Some bad decisions, very tragic
I'm sure many people could look at your mistakes and say the same of you. We are all guilty of dumb decisions, bad decisions. Some cost us more than others.
I'm uncertain why comments are doubling. As for the GPS they did have a GPS unit in the car. It's another If Only. If James had taken it with him he might have been able to avoid his wrong turn. But he left it with his wife and children just in case they ended up having to try to trek out of there before he could get back with help. At least that is my guess why he left it with them.
This is crazy. First off makes me even more aware that I keep a full tank. Second if it’s snowing that bad with those kids you should have been off the road after eating dennys. Hell stay there. But never will I imagine the feeling of being out in the absolute middle of nowhere and leaving my car. Crazy that they burned their car tires but even more gut wrenching is that the storm lasted that long.
Traveling is fun but I have had close calls with gas running out- lost even once in cornfields ! Driving at night is riskier ... until it happens to someone the idea of tragedy is far from the mind ...
@@sunnyday7843 it's more frustrating that Kim keeps making the same mistake. Which is going a different route each time he is given the choice and this gets him killed and almost his family.
rip james kim....a fathers love knows no boundries. you are a hero to myself and im sure many other fathers around the world...i didnt know you but you will always live on within me...love always
the biggest what if , if the Kim's had turned around , and went up north , back up I-5 , to exit 119 , and took highway 42 west , , they would have made it , to gold beach , once they hit highway 101 ,.....
wait at the end she said his body was less than a mile from the family? so he went in a big circle? i don't get it... it said he walked 16 miles. such a sad story. stay on the road. don't try to take a short cut. 16 miles thru thick brush and marsh forest is like 50 miles on a nice flat road. marathon runners can run 26.2 miles in like 3 hours. WHAT IF........What if...
So he followed the road up then went off road then down to the river and followed the river down to where his family was (this is from the map I’m looking at it could be wrong), He made the wrong choice of going off the road, we will never know why but he did go off-road and that brought him back to where his family was a mile away
@@Dis_Sal my guess is he decided to go off-road and follow the creek because it's a well-known axiom that being stranded in the wilderness, following a river or creek downstream will take you to civilization. The problem is that in winter this can be a very bad decision because you do not want to get wet and those conditions, it's literally fatal
@@wiseauserious8750 there's a map that shows his path, (not sure if it was released by PD or someone else,) but i think most likely he got confused and made a bad choice, regardless helicopter pilots said that his path led them to his family so in the end he did save his family
@@Dis_Sal he had hypothermia and apparently when you have that pretty badly, you start to get confused and make poor decisions. It's like you can't think straight anymore. I imagine that may have played some role.
Few of the people he worked with, or knew him, ever mention it now. Most are elitists that cannot be bothered with such things. Tech world needs a James Kim day.
What hurts me the most is that they didnt make the decision to go back down the way they came from instead they chose a different path but james died and saved his family. HERO
The Kims made too many fatal mistakes: 1. fatal mistake of taking a remote mountain road in the winter. 2. fatal mistake of taking a remote mountain road in the winter that he wasn't familiar with. 3. fatal mistake of not taking the main road to the coast from highway 5 to 101. Eventhough he missed exit 42, but 42 would have been a bad road to take too since there were a few other main roads to the coast to take. 4. fatal mistake of burning their car tires and got stranded. Should have collected deadwood and burned them instead. 5. fatal mistake of not turning around when he hit the unpaved road with rocks. This would have been a clue to turn around. 6. Fatal mistake of not stocking up on food and drinks before taking up a remote mountain road knowing you could get stranded in the winter. 7. fatal mistake of walking with only tennis shoes in the snow eventhough i'm impressed he was able to walk 16 miles. Getting stuck In the winter snow in a remote area, one mistake would have been fatal. They made too many.
They were able to stay alive for 9days. They had time but made the mistake of waiting until things got very bad to take certain initiatives. You can’t ever assume that “someone is coming to save us”.
James walked away found the stream and started following it in hope of finding his way out of the mountains, It circled back to down hill from where they were stopped while lost. Exposure to the elements killed him when he was almost back to the car only many meters down hill.
Agent although that experiment has been successfully conducted on mammals it requires gallons of properly typed blood and you have to know how long the person has been frozen. I'd rather not continue the discussion please just add this to the continuing and painful list of If only questions.
Haunting story to this day. James made a heck of an effort for sure. I know it's unfashionable but I place the blame for this solely on James Kim's original sin of leaving so late to drive through the wilderness. I'm not bothered as much by all the other supposed mistakes (burning tires, leaving the car, missing turns, etc.). They're all understandable given the circumstances. Driving at night in the wilderness, combined with taking a "shortcut" was the fatal problem. To save 15 minutes of drive time, he caused his family the loss of a husband and father for eternity.
@GeorgiaIsOnMyMind Sorry. I kinda wasn't able to work out my day to even catch the whole story on a single show showing it. So I didn't have much choice of presenters in the copy I posted.
Mountains, down hill and after finding then trying to follow a stream because it flows to the ocean eventually. Basically killed by logic during a desperate moment, after a really bad wrong turn.
we need to put more cell phone towers in area's where you get stranded - or dummy towers to collect data only--it may save lives----stay away from the mountains in winter or take a 4x4 pick-up with chains & a snowmobile in the back of the truck
I saw on another report about this family that some tech guys told officials they could triangulate the cellphone signals to find them but they weren’t taken up on it for days.
Obviously Bob Lucas doesn't have a clue how GPS works. The GPS unit communicates with SATELLITES in geosynchronous orbit around the Earth. The higher the elevation the CLOSER you are to the satellites. Elevation has little to do with the ability to receive a satellite signal. Weather conditions, cloud cover, no obstructions and location dictate strength of signal. The fact that Kim was a tech guy who worked in that field makes it all that much more baffling that he didn't have a GPS unit with him. I NEVER go anywhere without my GPS, especially when travelling.
Smart in tecnology doesnt mean smart in survive mountain... Cuz for somepeople who had insting to matematic doesnt mean have insting in bare life in wild ... + heart, stress and sadness invole... Prying for the Father
@@bobbarker7733 idiot, don’t you had anything nice to say! Just be quiet if you just had negative stuff to say! He’s still a hero for saving his family at the end!
When they burned all their car tires and other stuff they had.....couldn't one technically try and burn everything around them like the trees? Maybe it's too wet/moist for fire to burn in those conditions, but I dunno...I'm just thinking if you have fire....just make more torches and burn everything in site to get a smoke signal out.
It was snowing and raining. Everything was soaked. But even if it was summer, you still shouldn’t do that because it would cause a forest fire that could cause a lot of destruction and kill people.
@@LittleLulubee if it means saving your life and your family's life, I don't care. I'm causing the biggest fire I can possibly start to get noticed and get help.
Perheellä loppui ruoka, Bensa, oli kylmää sekä karhut piiritti heidän autonsa, kaikki toivo oli menetetty. Kahdessa päivässä kaikki oli hajonnut käsiin.
I want to tell the doctor one thing, if people looks dead because of freez, bring the body hurry up to hospital, one hand take out the cold blood of the body, other hand put the warm blood, run the body again. It may have a change the body alife again. I am not joke. This really happened and someone alife again.
@GeorgiaIsOnMyMind Do you even know what a Zionist is? Have you taken the time to look up Zion? Did you know there are allot of Jewish people who are Anti-Zionist? But they know exactly what Zionists are. So please to help me feel better with your comment could you tell me what you consider to be a Zionist?
The guy at the end of the video says "James Kim did nothing wrong". James Kim did EVERYTHING wrong! Start with a tech guy not having a GPS device with him on a long road trip. He missed the exit for the proper highway to the coast and didn't backtrack. He picked a smaller, less travelled road that wasn't maintained in Winter conditions. He stopped for directions and was warned not to take that road to get to the coast. He had less than a half a tank of gas and decided NOT to fill up before taking this deserted road with no cell service. There were several signs warning them that road was not maintained. He came to a fork where a sign clearly said the left fork went to the coast but he took the right fork. This right fork road was very thin and boulder strewn yet he continued driving down that road which was obviously NOT the road to the coast instead of turning around and heading back to the main road when he realized he was running low on fuel. He continued down this road for an incredible 17 miles. He decides to stay where they were at and then uses up all of his remaining fuel then burns his tires rendering his only means of transportation totally useless. After 9 days he decides to go search for help but after a few miles he leaves the roadway which he KNOWS is the way out and decides to go down into a creek bed and ends up walking in a 16 mile circle. If this man was TRYING to kill himself he couldn't have made more bad decisions. But he and his wife had a bad case of "getthereitis". They wanted to get to that hotel because they would have lost their deposit. It ended up costing him the deposit and his life. The only thing that's harder to believe than all the mistakes he made is that 3 of them survived. I feel for the Kim family and wish that he would have survived but let's not make him out to be a hero. He almost doomed his entire family with his bad choices. I'm sure his wife was partially to blame for his death but she did stay with the car which was absolutely the right choice. It saved her and her daughter' s lives.
@@Spokavriel He did NOT have a GPS with him moron! Or he would have never taken the right fork for 21 miles on a fricking logging road in tbe wrong direction! Know your facts before you comment!
@@bobbarker7733 Watch the articles, He had it but it had no signal due to the weather. Please stop condemning a dead man for limitations he had no control over.
@@Spokavriel No! It was his CELLPHONE that had no signal! A GPS device ALWAYS has a signal provided you have open sky above you. Cellphones depend on cell towers. You don't know what you're talking about.
@@Spokavriel That is so dumb! Why would he leave a GPS with his wife when he would have needed it to find his way to the main road to save his family? You're not too bright.
@@JuneCarpenter35 If you really didn't, you wouldn't have bothered to comment. I'm not a trained professional but you might want to find someone to help you find out why you had your reaction ;)
No what if’s about it. That’s disrespectful to the family . Unless u grow up in the mountains like me, you do not understand how to navigate it properly. No way he could have known. RIP James Kim
The fact that James even did that 16 mile trek through seriously gnarly winter Oregon terrain shows the grit humans have when we need to work hard. He did the best he possibly could. RIP James Kim.
Shit they would not have found his family if he never left on foot. Yeah he died but the only reason they found his family alive was the fact he left on foot leaving foot prints. He did what he set out to do
@@ktm250sxUbeazy it was also due to cell phone pings.
RIP James, no one can fault him for all the efforts made in looking out for his family.
Thanks for posting the series.
He was not trying to save his family. He SAVED his family
Strange dark and mysterious delivered in story format gang
@@romariosenior2865 yee boi
He left the footprints which saved them
He nearly killed all of them woth his ignorance. Many peoples advice to him was ignored
@@jw2473 so he knew they will all die right? Go read a book you disrespectful moron
Even the officers and rescuers were touched by his actions. Hw fought for as long as he can to save his family. What a great husband and father:
Awww shut up. Cry me a river 😢....😅
There were no vandals, actually. The county later admitted the road is kept unlocked for hobbyists and hunters to use in the winter. However, Kati Kim later clarified that they were not misled or took a wrong turn. They drove up the proper route, but it was blocked by snow. When they returned to the intersection, rather than turning around, they made the decision to use the second road, assuming it also led to the coast. They should not have started on an unfamiliar route at night.
That was by far the worst decision they made. I'll never understand what the thinking was there, why not just take Bear Creek road back the way you came and stay at a hotel in Roseburg or something. But whatever mistakes James Kim made he paid for and then some, I cannot imagine what the last few hours of his life must have been like, knowing he's going to die in the middle of nowhere and his family as well, and ultimately it would be his own fault. As a father that must be horrific to deal with
I had never heard that before that they took both forks of that road. They did so many things wrong, it’s important to learn lessons from their mistakes. It is rather ridiculous that the sheriff said “James Kim did nothing wrong”. We need to learn from those mistakes, not pretend that they did everything right just because we feel sorry for their loss.
3:29
It’s ok big guy. We’re all human.
It was his foot prints that helped the helicopter locate the car. He indeed did save his family. King.
I had the same wish too, that he could come back to this world even just for one day, just so he could be with the family that truly misses him. RIP James. I never knew you in person, but I'm certain you were a beautiful human being.
James....you made CNET a great company and you made a great family. When you died, CNET died too because it sucks now.
The emotion behind this is so heavy I’m so so sorry for the loss of this wonderful man and father
Even though this happened a while ago I feel really strong emotions about this tragedy
@@MeneTekelUpharsin Yea the wife must have felt horrible and just desperately clinging on to hope. I have watched some bits of survival series and the last thing I would do is cross rivers. Regardless he was brave and did what he thought was right.
Its so very sad. I wish he had stayed in the car, they could have survived on snow water for weeks
He will always be remembered as a loving father a loving husband a great human being. May God bless his family and rest his soul.
If James was leaving a trail, I would think he was doing it to find his way back to the car if he found help. It sounds to me like he was more concerned about his family being found than him.
it was too much snowing so that was not easy to leave trails
Anti Virus this makes no sense really. He did leave trails that is the point. He is commenting on his love for his family.
People are wondering how a smart guy like James would get himself in a situation like that. Well, even smart people make dumb decisions. He should have stayed on the road. Instead he choose to cut through into the canyons were the terrain is much harsher and unforgiving. He wasn't equipped for that. Why not just go back where you came from? His body was found less than a mile from the car, so basically he just walked in a circle. If he stayed on bear camp road. He would still be alive. because he eventually would have made it back to civilization and flagged down someone. They never should have been there in the first place. Never drive on unfamiliar roads at night.
They said he walked 16 miles, so how could he be found 1 mile from the car?
I just watch this last night on the sixth sence it so sad it touch my heart. little sabine so cute if I have one wish I wish james can come back. I'm truely proud of james he a hero.
Okay but the notes left for him….. sobbing. Rip James, you saved your family angel
if only james could see todays tech. Iphone 10,10x, 12.... and so on. 4GLTE, Electric cars.. and so on
So sad! Rest In Peace you hero, I’m trying not to cry at work
Bless his soul, he tried, nobody can fault this man, he put his wife and children first. RIP!
Rescuers were so saddened that he didn’t survive, they did what they could, bless them!
And that's why after a week, he tried to save his family. People will say it was wrong to leave the car, but here's another saying- Till you've walked in another mans shoes....
This is heartbreaking. Real man for his family.
That park ranger, Brink, said that the Kim's made a lot of good decisions. He could not be more wrong. Almost every decision James Kim made led to their predicament and his eventual death. 1. His decision to take Bear Camp Road off of Highway 5 after they missed the exit they actually wanted. 2. They stopped at a gas station/store to ask directions with less than a half tank of gas and he didn't fill up. 3. Their decision to not stock up on some food before driving to the coast. 4. Their decision to take the right fork off of Bear Camp Road instead of the left fork that the map clearly showed. 6. Their decision to continue driving down the narrow, dark, desolate road strewn with rocks and boulders instead of turning around to stay closer to the main road. 7. Their decision to burn their tires on their car. 8. Their decision not to bring a GPS with them nor a charger for their cellphone. 9. Kim's decision to leave the only shelter they had and head out into unfavorable weather conditions when he had no clue where he was going. 10. Their initial decision to use Highway 5 instead of staying on 101 which would have avoided any dangerous routes. Virtually every decision Kim made was the wrong decision. As a result his fate was unavoidable. I feel for his family. RIP, Mr. Kim.
I've lived in the mountains most of my life and always tell people- Make sure you blankets, water and some food as emergency
Jose Stickman Damn. I guess all that was left out of the story. Where did you get all that information? Or are you just assuming?
Bob don’t know if you’ll see my post .
Why did James go off the Bear Canyon Road down towards the river? Was he delirious?
I love the open road, was a nomad for 3 years … I do my homework…. I remember when the Kim’s were lost … I followed the story endlessly, flabbergasted by the decisions they made … such a sad story ..
@@zorazorazorzzora8333 when fatigued and dehidrated, you tend to hallucinate - he was probably too cold and simply thought going lower in elevation might give him a better chance at making it
@Jose Stickman thank you, finally someone who understands that it was not solely James Kim's fault, she was the navigator and missed the sign, she was the one who suggested they take Bear Creek road to the coast, ect. There is plenty of blame to go around
This a story to learn from...thank you James
People always like to talk about all of the mistakes made in stories like this, which is important, but also often ignorant of circumstance. These mistakes compound. People become increasingly desperate, panicked and weakened by external and internal forces. This man's family was found safe. When he left the vehicle in seek of help, that was his mission. I wish he would've stayed with them, but he had no way of knowing what we know now. He wanted to save them.
I totally agree. Everyone pointing fingers are also guilty of making bad decisions. I know I am, I've made bad decisions that thankfully I had ways out of. We are a society of finger pointing, of looking BACK on something and saying "well you should have done this"...how convenient? How much easier is it to look back on the past and point fingers than it is to actually BE IN THE MOMENT itself? sad.
Someone told me to google this because he thought that Kim was in a Subaru. Now I have to live with this depressions story. Poor Kim.
He wasn't in a Subaru. He was in a Saab.
RIP, James. I enjoyed your reviews on Cnet. And for those of you who own a car, keep an emergency bag in your trunk.
Not only what James did to try and save his family but his own father too all the things he did to try and find him and his family
Yeah his dad even moved a satellite for him! ❤
I just so sad... Even to this day almost two years later I still feel really heartbroken and I didn't even know him personally, just a few editor reviews and the crave video blog with Veronica.
Even a decade later.
Even 14 years later
Even 15 years later
Even 16 years Later
James is a HERO and an amazing man!
He got them in that mess unfortunately
this deserves more views
RIP James
his job-- the company he was working for was into software- its kind of ironic that he didnt have some tech thing to help him-- transponder ,somthing ., we all know cell phones have dead spots no signals. oregon has some tough long roads
I still remember years ago , the readers digest had a diary and a story , about a man , found in the van of a dead man , it tracked 17 days , they found the van , in the spring thaw , he was dead , he got stranded up there , in the winter ,.....
I believe this story will be on ABC's 20/20. Kait Kim is on talking about the ordeal.
They had been cautioned on the Oregon state map and by road signs on Bear Camp Road not to follow that route. They didn't miss the Oregon Route 42 exit from I-5 inadvertently. The exit is well marked and signed on the interstate. Kati Kim told investigators that she suggested the Bear Camp Road route to James as she presumed it must be similar to the scenic back routes she used to take from University of Oregon in Eugene to the coast. They had a $200 reservation that night at the Tu Tu Tum lodge at Gold Coast and stood to lose it if they didn't arrive there.
Woman should NEVER be in charge of a road map.
Can you provide sources for this?
@Fred Flintstone shut up neanderthal
This is why I feel that James Kim is being unfairly blamed, it's not as if he was a dictator who made all the decisions, she made bad decisions too
It's pretty clear that James had no intention of making it back to the car unless he got lucky and found someone. He knew the safest bet was for his family to stay put, but still decided to improve the odds by leaving. This was a decision that entirely focused on saving his family where self preservation was not a major consideration. I'm pretty certain if the children were not in the car he would have stayed put, but that wasn't the case and he ultimately sacrificed himself.
I live in southern Oregon , I once had a women in the store ask me for directions to bear camp road while l I was in line at the check out counter at the store , it was Dec. I would not give her directions , ,..... she was from southern California , she just not would get it , that road can be deadly , in the winter time , and James Kim was not the first person to die up there in the winter time ,.....many have , they get stranded and freeze to death ,.....
Bob, I think it's safe to assume that if you need to ask for directions on how to get there, then you are completely unprepared to go there. I live up in BC and we all take the logging roads very seriously, it's ridiculously dangerous during the winter time.
it was of the first things my mother and father told me , when I moved here , you don't take bear camp road in the winter , I have been here over 24 years , and have only been part way up bear camp road 2 times in Aug when I was camping , ,
Don't drive through the sierras, forest, etc, in winter. There were reports that year was a brutal winter. Don't leave late at night, they left late. Stay on main roads, main highways, main freeways, etc. If you see no one on the road, unmaintained roads, forks, no signage, you're unsure, backtrack, and go back, hopefully to main roads, not deeper into unknown territory. Study online and paper maps before venturing out, call the locals. Maps are not always correct or deceiving. Do not cross a desolate wilderness forest in winter. Have fuel, winter gear, food, water, emergency kits, beacon, back up chargers, compass, tell someone your plan, time, and routes, be able to make a fire, etc. Weather changes fast. Fine one second, snowed in soon. Run out of fuel, you are stuck. In the city, your mistakes are salvageable, in the middle of nowhere, your mistakes mean death. Ask yourself, if I am stuck, how long would my supplies and food last? Someone on this thread said paper maps said the route looked fine (Bear Camp Road.) A satellite view of that area and having to cross west through a wilderness forest in winter would have me back out of that plan. Things can easily take a wrong turn in the middle of nowhere. If you go through mountainous roads or difficult terrain in the winter, the time it takes multiplies ten fold.
Support AnimalRights Is that you, Captain Hindsight?
@@dang99991 I don't think it's hindsight to not continue down a single lane road in the wilderness over a mountain in the dark....
November is NOT the middle of Winter, moron! It's Autumn. Nobody dies of exposure in Autumn unless they're stupid!
How about some respect for this courageous man- Those people critical of his actions, have no compassion or understanding of what they might of
Agreed
Courageous? This man did almost everything he could to get his family killed! He was no hero. This story proves you can be tech savvy and still be a moron.
@@bobbarker7733 dammm you’re such an idiot and ignorant! He still saved his family at the end even if he’s the one first to get his family lost! I’m sure you would do the same thing as him for walking out and looking for help leaving footprints too!
@@bobbarker7733 well we all make mistakes and will continue to make mistakes. You're in idiot for all the mistakes you are about to make in the future. Fair?
Such a tragedy 💔 I just don’t understand how you could choose to drive down a strange road, into the wilderness, on a cold, snow stormy night, with 2 babies?! That was a VERY unwise decision.
Yeah I can understand looking on a map and thinking that Bear Creek road could take you from I-5 to the coast, but once they hit snow and had to turn around I cannot fathom why they would just take that right fork having no idea where it is or goes. And they had a map, no less. Some bad decisions, very tragic
@@wiseauserious8750 Totally heartbreaking and avoidable 💔
I'm sure many people could look at your mistakes and say the same of you. We are all guilty of dumb decisions, bad decisions. Some cost us more than others.
Poor family....and how brave....hard to imagine what you would try to do in those circumstances.
I'm uncertain why comments are doubling. As for the GPS they did have a GPS unit in the car. It's another If Only. If James had taken it with him he might have been able to avoid his wrong turn. But he left it with his wife and children just in case they ended up having to try to trek out of there before he could get back with help. At least that is my guess why he left it with them.
omg !!!!! this person is a hero. R.i.P.
Here from Mr. Ballen
Me too
Me 3
Me 4
This is crazy. First off makes me even more aware that I keep a full tank. Second if it’s snowing that bad with those kids you should have been off the road after eating dennys. Hell stay there. But never will I imagine the feeling of being out in the absolute middle of nowhere and leaving my car. Crazy that they burned their car tires but even more gut wrenching is that the storm lasted that long.
Traveling is fun but I have had close calls with gas running out- lost even once in cornfields ! Driving at night is riskier ... until it happens to someone the idea of tragedy is far from the mind ...
@@sunnyday7843 it's more frustrating that Kim keeps making the same mistake. Which is going a different route each time he is given the choice and this gets him killed and almost his family.
Victim blaming is a nasty thing to do
rip james kim....a fathers love knows no boundries. you are a hero to myself and im sure many other fathers around the world...i didnt know you but you will always live on within me...love always
James Kim was no hero. Go get out your Websters dictionary and look up the word hero.
@@bobbarker7733 anybody can be a hero to different people asshole. lemme guess trump is yours. im sure thats where u got that mentality
the biggest what if , if the Kim's had turned around , and went up north , back up I-5 , to exit 119 , and took highway 42 west , , they would have made it , to gold beach , once they hit highway 101 ,.....
yup they could have turned around for exit 42.
That 20 miles would have made a difference between life and a sad story.
I can not stop crying when i watch it.
I know 😢
wait at the end she said his body was less than a mile from the family? so he went in a big circle? i don't get it... it said he walked 16 miles. such a sad story. stay on the road. don't try to take a short cut. 16 miles thru thick brush and marsh forest is like 50 miles on a nice flat road. marathon runners can run 26.2 miles in like 3 hours. WHAT IF........What if...
So he followed the road up then went off road then down to the river and followed the river down to where his family was (this is from the map I’m looking at it could be wrong),
He made the wrong choice of going off the road, we will never know why but he did go off-road and that brought him back to where his family was a mile away
@@Dis_Sal my guess is he decided to go off-road and follow the creek because it's a well-known axiom that being stranded in the wilderness, following a river or creek downstream will take you to civilization. The problem is that in winter this can be a very bad decision because you do not want to get wet and those conditions, it's literally fatal
@@wiseauserious8750
there's a map that shows his path, (not sure if it was released by PD or someone else,) but i think most likely he got confused and made a bad choice, regardless helicopter pilots said that his path led them to his family so in the end he did save his family
@@Dis_Sal he had hypothermia and apparently when you have that pretty badly, you start to get confused and make poor decisions. It's like you can't think straight anymore. I imagine that may have played some role.
Few of the people he worked with, or knew him, ever mention it now. Most are elitists that cannot be bothered with such things. Tech world needs a James Kim day.
@hwyfan Yeah but you realize that a GPS needs a clear view of the sky and they were surrounded by trees that can block the GPS signal.
What hurts me the most is that they didnt make the decision to go back down the way they came from instead they chose a different path but james died and saved his family. HERO
Yeah crucial factor. In those conditions, especially one need to be very sure of where which road leads.
If not, a thumb rule would be to go back.
The Kims made too many fatal mistakes:
1. fatal mistake of taking a remote mountain road in the winter.
2. fatal mistake of taking a remote mountain road in the winter that he wasn't familiar with.
3. fatal mistake of not taking the main road to the coast from highway 5 to 101. Eventhough he missed exit 42, but 42 would have been a bad road to take too since there were a few other main roads to the coast to take.
4. fatal mistake of burning their car tires and got stranded. Should have collected deadwood and burned them instead.
5. fatal mistake of not turning around when he hit the unpaved road with rocks. This would have been a clue to turn around.
6. Fatal mistake of not stocking up on food and drinks before taking up a remote mountain road knowing you could get stranded in the winter.
7. fatal mistake of walking with only tennis shoes in the snow eventhough i'm impressed he was able to walk 16 miles.
Getting stuck In the winter snow in a remote area, one mistake would have been fatal. They made too many.
U jackass how would u like it if ur family was in the same situation. U are cold hearted bastard
@@mankitlee And you are a fucking moron, just like James Kim. James Kim's mistakes almost killed his entire family!
@@bobbarker7733 fuk
Assessments of failure are not personal attacks. Learning from the Kim’s mistakes could save lives in the future.
They were able to stay alive for 9days. They had time but made the mistake of waiting until things got very bad to take certain initiatives. You can’t ever assume that “someone is coming to save us”.
??
what is with the autopsy
James was a hero.. R.I.P 🏞🌠
There are soooo many what ifs scenarios
His footsteps helped the helicopter spot and save his family
Rip James 💔
What does she mean his body was found less than a mile from his family? It was made clear that he hiked 16 miles away and died.
James walked away found the stream and started following it in hope of finding his way out of the mountains, It circled back to down hill from where they were stopped while lost. Exposure to the elements killed him when he was almost back to the car only many meters down hill.
This is such a sad story…
@Spokavriel
No worries. Thank You for posting.
Agent although that experiment has been successfully conducted on mammals it requires gallons of properly typed blood and you have to know how long the person has been frozen. I'd rather not continue the discussion please just add this to the continuing and painful list of If only questions.
Haunting story to this day. James made a heck of an effort for sure. I know it's unfashionable but I place the blame for this solely on James Kim's original sin of leaving so late to drive through the wilderness. I'm not bothered as much by all the other supposed mistakes (burning tires, leaving the car, missing turns, etc.). They're all understandable given the circumstances. Driving at night in the wilderness, combined with taking a "shortcut" was the fatal problem. To save 15 minutes of drive time, he caused his family the loss of a husband and father for eternity.
@GeorgiaIsOnMyMind Sorry. I kinda wasn't able to work out my day to even catch the whole story on a single show showing it. So I didn't have much choice of presenters in the copy I posted.
He walked 16 miles and his body was found less than a mile from his family???
Mountains, down hill and after finding then trying to follow a stream because it flows to the ocean eventually. Basically killed by logic during a desperate moment, after a really bad wrong turn.
we need to put more cell phone towers in area's where you get stranded - or dummy towers to collect data only--it may save lives----stay away from the mountains in winter or take a 4x4 pick-up with chains & a snowmobile in the back of the truck
I saw on another report about this family that some tech guys told officials they could triangulate the cellphone signals to find them but they weren’t taken up on it for days.
An infuriating unnecessary death
@FuckinCrazyness actually one mile away from this cabin or resort or somethig.
Rip james
the truth is , I live here , you don't get G.P.S. in that elevation ,.....
Why is that Bob ? is it because you can't get a clear view of the sky for satellite reception in that area or something else ? I'm a bit lost.
Obviously Bob Lucas doesn't have a clue how GPS works. The GPS unit communicates with SATELLITES in geosynchronous orbit around the Earth. The higher the elevation the CLOSER you are to the satellites. Elevation has little to do with the ability to receive a satellite signal. Weather conditions, cloud cover, no obstructions and location dictate strength of signal. The fact that Kim was a tech guy who worked in that field makes it all that much more baffling that he didn't have a GPS unit with him. I NEVER go anywhere without my GPS, especially when travelling.
Elevation actually improves your connection to satélites
@@billnye9611 bad weather utterly ruins it
Smart in tecnology doesnt mean smart in survive mountain... Cuz for somepeople who had insting to matematic doesnt mean have insting in bare life in wild ... + heart, stress and sadness invole... Prying for the Father
Quiet nice when you are rich.
True hero
Hero? This idiot made a series of mistakes that almost killed his entire family and you call him a hero? I call you a moron!
@@bobbarker7733 dumbass he's definitely a hero his tracks lead back to his family
@@bobbarker7733 idiot, don’t you had anything nice to say! Just be quiet if you just had negative stuff to say! He’s still a hero for saving his family at the end!
When they burned all their car tires and other stuff they had.....couldn't one technically try and burn everything around them like the trees? Maybe it's too wet/moist for fire to burn in those conditions, but I dunno...I'm just thinking if you have fire....just make more torches and burn everything in site to get a smoke signal out.
It was snowing and raining. Everything was soaked. But even if it was summer, you still shouldn’t do that because it would cause a forest fire that could cause a lot of destruction and kill people.
@@LittleLulubee if it means saving your life and your family's life, I don't care. I'm causing the biggest fire I can possibly start to get noticed and get help.
@@breakaway2x Well, hopefully you’ll never be in that position
Perheellä loppui ruoka, Bensa, oli kylmää sekä karhut piiritti heidän autonsa, kaikki toivo oli menetetty. Kahdessa päivässä kaikki oli hajonnut käsiin.
So sad for this gentleman, but he dod what every man should to save his wife and kids. BTW, Paula was so freaking smoking hot back in the day.
😅
I want to tell the doctor one thing, if people looks dead because of freez, bring the body hurry up to hospital, one hand take out the cold blood of the body, other hand put the warm blood, run the body again. It may have a change the body alife again. I am not joke. This really happened and someone alife again.
3:29 demagogue
When you feel you feel...that's just one new term I learnt today
@GeorgiaIsOnMyMind Do you even know what a Zionist is? Have you taken the time to look up Zion? Did you know there are allot of Jewish people who are Anti-Zionist? But they know exactly what Zionists are. So please to help me feel better with your comment could you tell me what you consider to be a Zionist?
The guy at the end of the video says "James Kim did nothing wrong". James Kim did EVERYTHING wrong! Start with a tech guy not having a GPS device with him on a long road trip. He missed the exit for the proper highway to the coast and didn't backtrack. He picked a smaller, less travelled road that wasn't maintained in Winter conditions. He stopped for directions and was warned not to take that road to get to the coast. He had less than a half a tank of gas and decided NOT to fill up before taking this deserted road with no cell service. There were several signs warning them that road was not maintained. He came to a fork where a sign clearly said the left fork went to the coast but he took the right fork. This right fork road was very thin and boulder strewn yet he continued driving down that road which was obviously NOT the road to the coast instead of turning around and heading back to the main road when he realized he was running low on fuel. He continued down this road for an incredible 17 miles. He decides to stay where they were at and then uses up all of his remaining fuel then burns his tires rendering his only means of transportation totally useless. After 9 days he decides to go search for help but after a few miles he leaves the roadway which he KNOWS is the way out and decides to go down into a creek bed and ends up walking in a 16 mile circle. If this man was TRYING to kill himself he couldn't have made more bad decisions. But he and his wife had a bad case of "getthereitis". They wanted to get to that hotel because they would have lost their deposit. It ended up costing him the deposit and his life. The only thing that's harder to believe than all the mistakes he made is that 3 of them survived. I feel for the Kim family and wish that he would have survived but let's not make him out to be a hero. He almost doomed his entire family with his bad choices. I'm sure his wife was partially to blame for his death but she did stay with the car which was absolutely the right choice. It saved her and her daughter' s lives.
They did have GPS he had it with him on the trip and left it with his wife in case she had to try to make her way out with the kids if he failed.
@@Spokavriel He did NOT have a GPS with him moron! Or he would have never taken the right fork for 21 miles on a fricking logging road in tbe wrong direction! Know your facts before you comment!
@@bobbarker7733 Watch the articles, He had it but it had no signal due to the weather. Please stop condemning a dead man for limitations he had no control over.
@@Spokavriel No! It was his CELLPHONE that had no signal! A GPS device ALWAYS has a signal provided you have open sky above you. Cellphones depend on cell towers. You don't know what you're talking about.
@@Spokavriel That is so dumb! Why would he leave a GPS with his wife when he would have needed it to find his way to the main road to save his family? You're not too bright.
Awww cry me a river 😢.....😅
James died a while ago but it was still tragic that he died from exposure trying to find help for his family.
@@Spokavriel OK and I don't care
@@JuneCarpenter35 If you really didn't, you wouldn't have bothered to comment. I'm not a trained professional but you might want to find someone to help you find out why you had your reaction ;)
No what if’s about it. That’s disrespectful to the family .
Unless u grow up in the mountains like me, you do not understand how to navigate it properly. No way he could have known.
RIP James Kim