Some Dude On A Post-Graduation Trip To Yellowstone Went To Take A Hot Spring Dip, Boiled To Death, Then Dissolved In Acid Water

Rob Fox9 years ago

If you were wondering what the worst case scenario for “Oh, The Places You’ll Go!” is, I, uh, think I found it.

According to KULR, Collin Scott, 23, of Portland, Oregon, was on a college graduation trip with his sister when the two decided hopping into a pool of water that sits on top of the world’s largest underground volcano would be pretty chill.

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.

…

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.”

The report says Sable used her phone to record the journey to the hot spring. The report quotes her as saying she was shooting a video of her brother when the deadly accident happened, However, park officials would not release the video, or even a description of it.

The ranger continued, “We will not release the video of the incident, or tell you what’s on it, but suffice it to say that upon watching it, I and the other rangers spent several hours crying and puking, and none of us have slept for days. We mostly just stare off into the distance now. Dave over here has been trying to give himself concussions until he forgets what he saw. To be honest I might join him. Don’t you hog that hammer, Dave. I mean, just imagine the worst thing you’ve ever seen, multiply it by a billion, and then add in the horrified screams of a loved one as the soundtrack. Now if you’ll excuse me I have to order a thousand therapy puppies and fifty cases of Wild Turkey.”

Other areas of the report are redacted under the Privacy act. Veress said it was done out of sensitivity to the family.

The report did quote Sable as saying, “her brother was reaching down to check the temperature of a hot spring when he slipped and fell into the pool.”

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”

I’m sorry, a lightning storm stopped them from pulling the dead body out of the pool of hot acid? Did this happen at Yellowstone or on the surface of Venus?

I know park budgets aren’t that big, but now feels like a good time to invest in a few, “NO SWIMMING! THIS IS BOILING ACID!” signs..

[via KULR]

Image via Shutterstock