A young Washington woman suffered burns to most of her body when she tried to pull her dog out of a hot spring in Yellowstone National Park.
The 20-year-old, whose name or hometime were not identified, was traveling with her dog and her father when they stopped Monday in the vicinity of Fountain Flat Drive south of Madison Junction, a park release said Tuesday.
When they got out of their vehicle to look around, the dog jumped out of the car and into Maiden's Grave Spring, a simmering spring named for the nearby grave of Mattie Culver, who died in 1889 during childbirth at the Marshall Hotel that once stood in the area.
The father pulled his daughter out of the spring and drove her to West Yellowstone, Montana, for treatment, the park release said. Yellowstone rangers and Hebgen Basin Rural Fire District crews provided initial care to the woman, who sustained burns from her feet to her shoulders, at West Yellowstone. She was then transported to the Burn Center at Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center, the release said.
No further information on the woman's condition was known. The father managed to pull the dog out of the spring and planned to take it to a veterinarian, the release added.
According to The Geysers of Yellowstone by T. Scott Bryan, Maiden's Grave Spring is "a gently boiling pool surrounded by a log rail fence." It lies near the west side of the Fire Hole River.
This is the second significant injury in one of the park's thermal areas this year, accoridng to the release. The first occurred in September at Old Faithful, when a 19-year-old woman from Rhode Island suffered second- and third-degree burns to 5 percent of her body. In 2020, a three-year-old suffered second degree-thermal burns to the lower body and back while running down a trail near the Fountain Freight Road and falling into a thermal area. Early in 2020 year a woman who illegally entered the park while it was closed due to the Covid pandemic fell into a thermal feature at Old Faithful while backing up and taking photos.
In September 2019, a man suffered severe burns after falling into thermal water near the cone of Old Faithful Geyser. In June 2017, a man sustained severe burns after falling in a hot spring in the Lower Geyser Basin. In June 2016, a man left the boardwalk and died after slipping into a hot spring in Norris Geyser Basin. In August 2000, one person died and two people received severe burns from falling into a hot spring in the Lower Geyser Basin.
Comments
I was shocked to read that the dog owner actually went into a boiling feature after the dog...have to take a breath and control your impulses in that situation...get the dog to get itself out
Isn't your comment a little presumptuous & sexist? How do you know the father didn't let the dog out??? Speaking as a woman, we are more protective then men when it comes to animals or children. It is called maternal instinct, duh.
My family went to yellow stone when my brother was a toddler common sense and obeying the rules keeps you safe, people are not all as responsible or respectful and because of this preventable accidents occur I believe this too is a accident that could have been avoided with more awareness and having her dog secure, the dog suffered because of what very well could be a irresponsible owner and because of this it caused both owner and dog a lot of pain..prayers for them both
We've visited Yellowstone a number of times and I am always astounded by the number of unsafe actions we witness every time. The rules are clear, especially those regardiing the hot springs and animals. As one person put it, this is NOT a theme park...visiting is at your risk.
Exactly!
Jailed, seems a bit harsh. The woman and her dog have clearly already suffered enough. Ever made a mistake in judgement? Apparently not. So ready to judge others. How pathetic!
Sending prayers of healing and speedy recovery to the young lady and her dog.
May God bless and look over this family during this most difficult time.
Yellowstone is an amazing place to bring family (children, elderly and even pets.) My husband and I are pro hikers and have been to far more dangerous places than Yellowstone. Just follow the rules, rules are there to maintain order and prevent casualties. This is unfortunate for this young woman for sure, and we hope she gets well swiftly and I hope this one terrible experience doesn't scar the poor girl...