A 19-year-old Rhode Island woman suffered second and third degree burns at Old Faithful early Thursday morning when she strayed from the boardwalk. Park officials point out that the ground in hydrothermal areas is fragile and thin, and there is scalding water just below the surface.
Due to the injuries, the patient who is a concessions employee was taken by ambulance to West Yellowstone and then life-flighted to the Burn Center at Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center and her condition at this time is unknown.
The incident is currently under investigation. This is the first significant injury in a thermal area in 2021. In 2020, a three-year-old suffered second-degree-thermal burns to the lower body and back and a visitor who illegally entered the park fell into a thermal feature at Old Faithful while backing up and taking photos.
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