3-Year-Old Suffers Thermal Burns After Falling Into Scalding Water at Yellowstone National Park
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A 3-year-old suffered severe burns to the lower body and back after falling into scalding hot water at Yellowstone National Park.
On Friday morning, the child "took off running" from the trail near the Midway Geyser Basin before slipping and falling into a small thermal feature, the park said in a release.
The child suffered second-degree-thermal burns after falling into the hot water and was flown to the Burn Center at Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center.
According to the release, the ground in hydrothermal areas is fragile and thin with scalding water directly below the surface.
RELATED: Woman Burned By Thermal Feature After Illegally Breaking Into Yellowstone Park to Take Photos
The incident remains under investigation and there is no further information on the child's condition.
This is the second "significant injury" to occur in a thermal area this year, the park noted.
In May, a woman suffered burns after illegally entering Yellowstone National Park and falling backward into a thermal feature.
The unidentified woman drove into the park despite the fact that it has been closed to the public since March due to the novel coronavirus, according to the Associated Press.
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RELATED: Man Severely Burned After Tripping and Falling into Hot Spring at Yellowstone National Park
She was reportedly taking photos near the Old Faithful geyser when she backed up too far and fell into a hot spring, sustaining several burns.
After the fall, the woman drove for roughly 50 miles before she was stopped by park rangers about one mile south of Mammoth Hot Springs, NBC Montana reported. She was then life-flighted to the Burn Center at Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center, park officials said.
"Hot springs have injured or killed more people in Yellowstone than any other natural feature," the park's website explains.
To steer clear of these hot areas, the park urges all visitors to stay on the provided boardwalks.
