A young woman has been hospitalized with severe burns after jumping into a hot spring at Yellowstone National Park.
Laiha Slayton, 20, of Washington, suffered 2nd and 3rd degree thermal burns from her shoulders to her feet after jumping into the scalding waters of Maiden’s Grave Spring in an attempt to rescue her shih tzu, park officials said.
Slayton was visiting the park with her father and dog when the shih tzu became startled and jumped into a hot spring, which reaches temperatures up to 200 degrees Fahrenheit. In a panicked moment, Slayton jumped in after the dog, burning 91% of her body. Her father rescued her by pulling her out of the water, sustaining burns on his feet. The dog did not survive.
"She's incredibly lucky. Dad saved her life," Slayton's sister Kamilla wrote in an Instagram post on Thursday.
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Slayton was submerged in the water for approximately eight seconds.
She is currently in a medically induced coma at Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center where she will remain for two weeks before undergoing surgery.
"My sister’s palms are completely gone," Kamilla said. "She is stable and healing slowly and at a good rate. This won’t be a fast process by any means."
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