A tourist who wandered off the boardwalk at Old Faithful geyser in Yellowstone in the dark has suffered “severe” burns, according to the National Parks Service, after tripping into thermal water.
“Cade Edmond Siemers, a 48-year-old U.S. citizen currently living in India, suffered severe burns to a significant portion of his body after falling into thermal water near the cone of Old Faithful geyser,” said the National Parks Service (NPS) in a statement.
He had got himself back to his hotel before calling for assistance late on Sept. 29, according to rangers who said that he had been drinking.
“He told rangers that he had gone for a walk, off boardwalk without a flashlight and tripped into a hot spring,” said the Sept. 30 NPS statement.
He was airlifted to the Burn Center at Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center.
In the morning, rangers went to the site to investigate. “They discovered several items near the geyser (the man’s shoe, hat, and a beer can), footprints going to and from the geyser, and blood on the boardwalk,” according to the NPS.
Rangers continued to investigate, and assess possible damage to the geyser cone.
Siemers may face prosecution.
It is the first time someone has been burned in two years at the park, according to the NPS.
In June 2016, a 21-year-old man slipped into hot spring in Norris Geyser Basin, after leaving the boardwalk, and died.
Back in 2000, a couple was severely burned and one person killed when they fell into hot springs at Lower Geyser Basin.
“The ground in hydrothermal areas is fragile and thin, and there is scalding water just below the surface,” says the NPS. “Visitors must always remain on boardwalks and exercise extreme caution around thermal features.”
According to The Associated Press, leaving the boardwalk is not just dangerous, but also illegal.
Last month, two men were charged after walking onto Old Faithful geyser in Yellowstone National Park, captured by shocked onlookers on camera as they leaned directly over the geyser, which erupts with boiling hot water about once every hour.
According to The Associated Press, park officials say the men have been summoned to appear in federal court.
Eyewitness Kimberly Guilliams told KTMF-TV she saw the men approaching the mouth of the steaming geyser and peering inside, snapping photos with their cellphones.
“So this happened this past Tuesday at Old Faithful,” Guilliams wrote in a since-deleted post on Facebook page called “Yellowstone National Park: Invasion of The Idiots!”
“They even leaned more over the opening but just didn’t get a photo. They were caught, reports were filed, and I submitted photos to the Park Ranger. We were in total disbelief and the complete stupidity of these guys,” she wrote.