is there any way to turn off PVP so you don't keep getting slaughtered when you're new to the game. Also, if you die in a random encounter is all of the stuff in your inventory gone? Is there any way to find your body and stuff?
If you have a car in the encounter with you, you will be able to get back into the encounter.
If you can get back in and finish off the critters, you can have all your stuff back, but they will start with full health again when you return.
If you can't kill them, you can wait a while and they will leave, then you can at least go back for your car and armor, as long as some other player hasn't stumbled into your encounter while you were gone.