The Region : Hiker, 19, Freezes to Death

A Lomita man apparently froze to death in sub-zero temperatures after becoming disoriented in the Mt. Pinos area of Los Padres National Forest. Kern County sheriff’s and coroner’s officials were investigating the death of Allen James Bradford, 19, who spent Saturday night in temperatures that dipped to 6 degrees below zero. A companion, Gregory Piers, 18, of Anaheim, said he and Bradford went to Frazier Park off Interstate 5 between Los Angeles and Bakersfield to play in the snow. They decided to spend the night and took a walk south from the parking lot on top of Mt. Pinos. After they became disoriented, Piers said, they decided to wait out the night where they were. Piers said when he awoke in the morning, Bradford was dead.