Woman illegally enters Yellowstone, falls into hot spring

“Town Crier” newsletter – Briefs from the Region (1) – 5/13/20

On May 12, an unnamed woman suffered “life-flighted”-worthy burns in a Yellowstone National Park hot spring, according to NBC. The woman had entered the park illegally—the park is closed to the public due to Covid-19—and while walking backwards to capture the perfect hot springs photograph, tumbled into a thermal feature near the iconic Old Faithful geyser. Hot water and gasses did her a number, but she still managed to drive 50 miles before being intercepted by park rangers. Noticing her condition, they called in a helicopter to fly her to a hospital facility in Idaho for treatment. The blunder, which was, of course, 100 percent avoidable, is not the first. This past October, a tourist staying at the Old Faithful Inn took a little midnight stroll around park features in close proximity to the lodging, using a flashlight to break up the darkness. However, the device was used in vain when he tripped into a hot spring near the cone of Old Faithful Geyser, severely burning the individual. And in 2016, an Oregon 23-year-old was literally disintegrated after falling into a superheated, acidic mud pot at Yellowstone. Since 1890, there have been 22 hot springs-related deaths in Yellowstone.