Hiker Severely Burns Leg in Boiling Water After Leaving Trail in Yellowstone Thermal Area

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. — A 60-year-old New Hampshire woman suffered second- and third-degree burns to her leg when she fell into scalding water at a thermal area in Yellowstone National Park.

A National Park Service news release said the woman was flown by helicopter to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center after the incident Monday afternoon. It is the first known thermal injury in the park this year.

The woman was walking off the trail with her husband and dog Monday afternoon when she punctured a thin crust above the boiling water. Her husband and dog were not injured.

The woman and her husband went to the park’s medical clinic before she was airlifted to hospital.

Hot springs have caused more injuries and deaths in Yellowstone National Park than any other natural feature, the National Park Service said. At least 22 people have died from hot spring-related injuries in and around the 3,400-square-mile national park since 1890, park officials said.

The incident remains under investigation, but the park service says visitors should not leave boardwalks and trails in the thermal areas.