A harrowing accident in Yellowstone National Park resulted in five people being rushed to the hospital after their car veered off the road and into an inactive acidic geyser. The incident occurred Thursday morning near the semi-centennial geyser thermal pool.
Yellowstone officials reported that the vehicle fell into water reaching temperatures of 105 degrees Fahrenheit. Remarkably, all passengers managed to escape the nine feet of acidic water with non-life-threatening injuries. They were promptly transported to a local hospital for treatment.
The accident led to the closure of the roadway as police and rescue teams worked to extract the vehicle. The cause of the incident remains under investigation by park officials.
The semi-centennial geyser, located near Roaring Mountain and between Mammoth Hot Springs and Norris Junction, has been inactive for over a century since a major explosion in 1922.
In a statement, officials expressed gratitude to Hanser’s Automotive, US Water Rescue Dive Team, HK Contractors, Resource Technologies Incorporated, and Yellowstone Park Service Stations for their swift removal of the vehicle.
Yellowstone National Park, situated near the Idaho-Montana border, is no stranger to accidents. Just last year, in July 2023, the park was the site of another tragic event. Amie Anderson, a public school teacher, was killed by a grizzly bear while backpacking across the US.
Anderson’s body was discovered near a hiking trail on the western side of the park. She was attacked a few hundred yards from a trailhead and private campground while the bear was traveling with a cub.
Her family confirmed the heartbreaking news on Facebook. Anderson’s mother, Janet, shared, “This is probably the hardest thing I’ve ever had to put on here. Yesterday morning we lost our beautiful, smart, talented daughter, Amie. Our firstborn.” Anderson, a Kansas native, left behind a memoir titled Walking Out: One Teacher’s Reflections on Walking out of the Classroom to Walk America, where she chronicled her love for hiking and the great outdoors.
Janet reflected on her daughter’s passion, saying, “Every morning, she’d get up early, and she’d walk, hike, or run. Running through that beauty of Yellowstone – she was almost in heaven.”
