Toddler flown to hospital after falling into thermal area at Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone National Park (EastIdahoNews.com) — A toddler was flown to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center with thermal burns after an accident at Yellowstone National Park Friday.

The incident occurred in the area of Fountain Freight Road near Midway Geyser Basin around 11:40 a.m., according to a news release. The three-year-old took off running from the trail, slipped and then fell into a small thermal feature.

The child was airlifted to the burn center at EIRMC with second-degree-thermal burns on the lower body and back.

“The ground in hydrothermal areas is fragile and thin, and there is scalding water just below the surface,” the news release says. “Visitors must always remain on boardwalks and trails and exercise extreme caution around thermal features.”

This is the second significant injury in a thermal area this year. A woman, who illegally entered the park in May, 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.