Home / Disasters and Accidents / Yellowstone Tragedy: Friends Plunge into Deadly Hot Spring
Yellowstone Tragedy: Friends Plunge into Deadly Hot Spring
30 Jul
Summary
- Three friends misjudged a hot spring, falling into Cavern Springs.
- Young woman died from third-degree burns; two friends severely injured.
- This was the first fatal hot spring incident in Yellowstone since 1988.
Tragedy struck Yellowstone National Park when three friends, including an 18-year-old woman, fatally misjudged a body of water. While attempting to jump into what they believed were safe streams, they instead plunged into the crust surrounding Cavern Springs, a prohibited feature known for its extreme temperatures reaching up to 87 degrees Celsius.
The consequences were devastating. The young woman suffered third-degree burns across her entire body and tragically passed away the following day. Her two companions were airlifted to a specialized burns unit, both sustaining burns that covered 95% of their bodies.
Investigations later revealed no alcohol played a role in the incident. This marked the first fatal hot spring incident in Yellowstone since 1988, though two subsequent tragedies have occurred in 2016 and 2022. Friends and family mourned the loss of the young woman at a service in Oroville, Washington.
