Death is not a strange occurrence at Yellowstone National Park or many other parks across the United States. It’s so frequent, there is a book out there called Death At Yellowstone: Accidents and Foolhardiness in the First National Park in order to warn visitors about the real dangers of the park and what can happen if you don’t follow the rules.
It would’ve been helpful for the siblings in this horrifying news story and possibly saved a life in the process. According to KULR, the pair ignored warning signs and left the visitor path:
The accident happened in Norris Geyser basin on the afternoon of June 7. Deputy Chief Ranger Lorant Veress says it is a very dangerous area with boiling acidic waters.
Veress explained, “There’s a closure in place to keep people from doing that for their own safety and also to protect the resources because they are very fragile. But, most importantly for the safety of people because it’s a very unforgiving environment.”
But, according to the official incident report released by the National Park Service, 23-year old Colin Nathaniel Scott of Portland, Oregon, and his sister Sable Scott left the boardwalk near Pork Chop Geyser, then walked several hundred feet up a hill.
Veress said, “… they were specifically moving in that area for a place that they could potentially get into and soak. I think they call it Hot Potting.”
KULR reports that Sable Scott filmed the journey from Porkchop Geyser to the Norris Geyser basin, unreleased by authorities for obvious reasons, and claimed that her brother reached down into the pool to check the temperature before accidentally falling into the water:
Search and rescue rangers who arrived later did find the victim’s body in the pool, along with his wallet, and flip flops. But, a lightning storm stopped the recovery efforts. The next day, workers could not find any remains. Veress says the water was churning, and acidic.
He remarked, “In a very short order, there was a significant amount of dissolving”
Yellowstone is an active volcano and is considered a super volcano given previous eruptions and predictions for the future. This isn’t good news for the planet, but it is clearly very bad news for anybody that feels like taking a dip in the waters at the park. You don’t expect to literally become a stew when you fall into a pool of water, but that’s what seems to have happened here.
No charges were filed in relation to the incident, but it should stand as a definite warning to anybody visiting the park. Don’t leave the path and don’t go for a swim.
(Via KULR)