On Tuesday, May 12th, 2020, a woman broke into Yellowstone National Park and fell into a steaming hot thermal feature near the Old Faithful Geyser.
Old Faithful!
Posted by Sari Saunders on Sunday, August 12, 2018
The park has been temporarily closed since March 24th due to the coronavirus pandemic and the woman was illegally visiting when it happened. Park rangers said they found her 50 miles away from the thermal feature with severe burns.
The unidentified woman was airlifted to a Burn Center at Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center and her condition is unknown at the moment. Officials said the woman told them she was backing up to take a picture when she accidentally fell into the burning poisonous water.
After that, she somehow managed to get in her car and drive 50 miles through Yellowstone National Park before being stopped by a park ranger. He quickly called in the rescue helicopter after realizing she needed medical attention.
Yellowstone National Park advises visitors to stay on the trails and boardwalks but the lady didn’t follow the guidance and suffered unfortunate consequences. Many people have died or suffered burns for not staying at a safe distance from the hot springs. Hopefully, the lady will be okay.
According to the NPS, the Old Faithful Geyser erupts about every 90 minutes and blasts out 3,700–8,400 gallons of boiling water at height of 106–184 feet. The average water temperature of Old Faithful is 169.7 degrees Fahrenheit.