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More bad behavior at Yellowstone - man walks off boardwalk and dies in hot spring

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I blame the parents and most of GenX for raising a generation who believe they can do no wrong and the boundaries don't apply to them.
 

Hazmat

Member
Hm. Not sure how to respond to this. There are varying degrees of severity when it comes to mistakes. I wouldn't know what else to call it if it's not classified as a mistake.



The perceived danger is the difference. You also can come out just fine by lighting a house on fire and locking the doors, but the chances are slim.

The only thing you have to do at a US National Park to stay safe is to obey the rules and warnings put out by the park rangers. They don't tell you to stay out of a river or warn you to stay on a marked path while walking through a supervolcano because they want to worsen your vacation, they do it because they, as experts, judge it to be unsafe for you, a layman.

And you're right, this was a mistake. A simple lapse in judgement. If you haven't realized that sometimes making a mistake can kill you before this moment, welcome to the real world.
 

Alexlf

Member
I'm sure it would be absolutely excruciating.

On the positive side, with enough trauma your body goes into shock and your brain shuts down. So you wouldn't be conscious much beyond the initial damage.

Unfortunately not. You only faint when there's a large drop in blood pressure to the brain, which does indeed happen when there's extreme trauma like lost limbs. In this case his "fight-or-flight" would have probably kicked in and his blood pressure would have instead INCREASED. Blood loss would have been non-existent at first, and then minimal later thanks to the water pressure against any exposed internals. I'd say it's very unlikely he passed out before drowning.
 

qcf x2

Member
Unfortunately not. You only faint when there's a large drop in blood pressure to the brain, which does indeed happen when there's extreme trauma like lost limbs. In this case his "fight-or-flight" would have probably kicked in and his blood pressure would have instead INCREASED. Blood loss would have been non-existent at first, and then minimal later thanks to the water pressure against any exposed internals. I'd say it's very unlikely he passed out before drowning.

Yeah, only way he passed out would have been if he hit his head or if the fumes rushed through his lungs on the way down and stunned him, I think. He almost definitely had time to regret his stupid decision.
 

GhaleonEB

Member
I wouldn't say that. It's stupid, but people do exactly what he did (minus slipping in) and end up fine.

Maybe he saw the youtube video of 6 dudes walking around off the path and thought it would be alright. Dude made a dumb mistake, and paid the ultimate price for it.

The analogy was to convey that he 1) did something that was obviously dangerous in a life-threatening way, 2) put himself in the kind of danger where once the decision was made to do said dangerous thing, he had basically no ability to control the outcome, and and 3) did so knowingly.

People run through traffic all the time. Just because someone does so doesn't mean it's a good idea for you to do so. He watched other people do something that might have gotten them killed, and then joined in.

This is not to say I don't empathize with his fate - that's a horrific way to die. But it's also an amazingly stupid one. The place is littered with signs that say "don't do this thing, it could kill you" and he goes and does that thing.
 

Ray Wonder

Founder of the Wounded Tagless Children
I think that was the point of the original comment was making or at least how I read it. Both are incredibly stupid, dangerous things that common sense alone should have warned you away from and this guy paid the price as he was not lucky enough to get away from the foolishness unharmed. The situation is terrible but he made a really really bone headed decisions and kept pushing his luck by going out farther and farther and taking his sister with him? We're lucky it wasnt two people sucked in.

What I'm saying is there's a small level of relatable humanity in walking around off path trying to get a better view of an acid pit, but zero in playing frogger in a busy street.

Willfully endangerment. He consciously ignored the warning signs, left the safety of the path, and walked a sizable distance away from safe ground.

No, I don't think he deserved to die. But it is hard to feel full empathy for the guy when he choose to do something so stupid. The guy who went in after his dog- yeah I feel bad for him and the dog. That was a split second decision to save a companions life in-spite of the known danger. Not wise, but it was a heroic effort.

I find it hard to believe he was willfully endangering himself. I believe he thought he was somewhat safe until he slipped in.
 

jblank83

Member
Unfortunately not. You only faint when there's a large drop in blood pressure to the brain, which does indeed happen when there's extreme trauma like lost limbs. In this situation however blood loss would have been non-existent at first, and then minimal later thanks to the water pressure against any exposed internals. I'd say it's very unlikely he passed out before drowning.

In blunt trauma, yes. However in response to tissue damage the blood pressure drop is due to vasoactive cytokine release, allowing immune cells to migrate to and respond to localized damage. However when the damage is widespread, widespread vasoactive substances are themselves the cause of blood pressure drop via vasodilation and vasopermeability.

Beyond that, damage to the microcirculation, the capillaries, venules, arterioles, and veins near the surface would also cause a blood pressure drop from sheer mass blood loss. The blood may be contained in a limb (although in this case I assume it will leak out into the water freely), but the blood is no longer in the circulatory system.

The massive insult would also set off a massive norepinephrine/epinephrine/endoprhin response that would also blunt some of the pain signals. Although once the damage reaches the dorsal root ganglia, assuming the person is still conscious, that would be worse pain than anything at the skin. Then again, I'd assume complete uncosciousness by that point.

There are other factors to consider as well. Widespread tissue damage will cause a massive release of substances such as potassium and magnesium, which will interfere with the heart beating and the brain processing. To the point that, in not too long a timespan, you just won't be conscious and/or your heart will go into afib/vfib.

http://www.medbullets.com/step2-3-dermatology/20554/burns
http://www.totalburncare.com/orientation_burn_shock.htm
 
I blame Nintendo.

hqdefault.jpg
 

Chococat

Member
I find it hard to believe he was willfully endangering himself. I believe he thought he was somewhat safe until he slipped in.

What? Are you serious?

He walked off of the safety of the boardwalk, ignored the signage, ignore the very fact that boiling water can burn/kill you if you come in contact with it. How is that not "willfully putting ones self in danger"? The risked are posted all round the park for everyone to see. He choose to ignore the risks. Just because he thought he was immune to the danger doesn't change that he put himself in danger.
 

Ray Wonder

Founder of the Wounded Tagless Children
The analogy was to convey that he 1) did something that was obviously dangerous in a life-threatening way, 2) put himself in the kind of danger where once the decision was made to do said dangerous thing, he had basically no ability to control the outcome, and and 3) did so knowingly.

People run through traffic all the time. Just because someone does so doesn't mean it's a good idea for you to do so. He watched other people do something that might have gotten them killed, and then joined in.

This is not to say I don't empathize with his fate - that's a horrific way to die. But it's also an amazingly stupid one. The place is littered with signs that say "don't do this thing, it could kill you" and he goes and does that thing.

There're no rails around a lot of those parts. If the ground immediately off of those platforms was extremely dangerous, they would have them. Lending a small feeling of safety to walking on it. To a person that that gives enough perceived safety, it may not seem like a life threatening idea to walk on it to check out the acid pit 2 football fields away. I believe he made a false step, the ground gave away, and he was sucked into the pit. I can empathize with him on that too, not only the fact that he melted to death.
 

Ray Wonder

Founder of the Wounded Tagless Children
What? Are you serious?

He walked off of the safety of the boardwalk, ignored the signage, ignore the very fact that boiling water can burn/kill you if you come in contact with it. How is that not "willfully putting ones self in danger"? The risked are posted all round the park for everyone to see. He choose to ignore the risks. Just because he thought he was immune to the danger doesn't change that he put himself in danger.

Because he wasn't planning on going into the part that is boiling? He was planning on walking on the safe parts to look at the boiling part closer, but fell in.
 

HStallion

Now what's the next step in your master plan?
What I'm saying is there's a small level of relatable humanity in walking around off path trying to get a better view of an acid pit, but zero in playing frogger in a busy street.

That doesn't really matter though, appreciating beauty shouldn't negate common sense.
 
There're no rails around a lot of those parts. If the ground immediately off of those platforms was extremely dangerous, they would have them. Lending a small feeling of safety to walking on it. To a person that that gives enough perceived safety, it may not seem like a life threatening idea to walk on it to check out the acid pit 2 football fields away. I believe he made a false step, the ground gave away, and he was sucked into the pit. I can empathize with him on that too, not only the fact that he melted to death.
I can't help but scratch my head at the phrase "enough perceived safety" when referring to jumping off a walkway to go check out the scalding hot pit of acid. I've never been to the area myself (I'd like to) but I can only imagine that the warning signs are not limited to the walkway itself, and that there are huge warning signs everywhere imaginable when you arrive at whatever area surrounds it.

I just can't see how someone could mistake just how fucking lethal the place is.
 

BriGuy

Member
What he did was incredibly stupid and reckless, but I still have sympathy for him. The loss of any life so young is tragic on some level, regardless of the circumstances leading up to it.
 

Quonny

Member
Yellowstone is incredible. Probably my favorite vacation ever. You don't need to do this shit. You get really, really close to almost everything you'd want to see.
 

hunchback

Member
Poor guy. Utterly stupid but doesn't mean he deserves such a horrible death.

I don't really agree. If you can't take 5 minute's to read the brochure they hand you or read the damn signs they have everywhere in the park then maybe you do. It's called common sense.

The saddest part was anybody that was a witness to this idocy and had children with them.
 

Ray Wonder

Founder of the Wounded Tagless Children
That doesn't really matter though, appreciating beauty shouldn't negate common sense.

The perceived safety in it. Not the humanity in exploration, and appreciating beauty.

I can't help but scratch my head at the phrase "enough perceived safety" when referring to jumping off a walkway to go check out the scalding hot pit of acid. I've never been to the area myself (I'd like to) but I can only imagine that the warning signs are not limited to the walkway itself, and that there are huge warning signs everywhere imaginable when you arrive at whatever area surrounds it.

I just can't see how someone could mistake just how fucking lethal the place is.

I don't know. I can relate more with walking off the path to go check out an acid pit than playing in a busy street.

And it's completely selfish to the people who have to go and rescue them or recover the remains.

Yeah, I'm sure the dude was sure enough that he was going to die that he was worried about people recovering his body.


I don't really agree. If you can't take 5 minute's to read the brochure they hand you or read the damn signs they have everywhere in the park then maybe you do. It's called common sense.

The saddest part was anybody that was a witness to this idocy and had children with them.

This is just like that smoking thread. I just can't relate to a lot of ya'll.
 

Alebrije

Member
How much time you can boil before die?

Read that the process can take 10 minutes, if this is true worse die ever.
 

Ray Wonder

Founder of the Wounded Tagless Children
How much time you can boil before die?

Read that the process can take 10 minutes, if this is true worse die ever.

I honestly cannot think of a worse way to go than being slowly melted to death.

And some people think he deserved it. smh
 
Poor guy. Utterly stupid but doesn't mean he deserves such a horrible death.

What does this even mean? If you don't follow the directions laid out by people and signs alike, does it mean you should be safe from possible consequences?

I understand that you and others like you don't like it when people die. But he had control of his actions and he should take responsibility for them, even if fatal.

If people light themselves on fire because lolz Fire Challenge, do they not deserve the consequences of 2nd and 3rd degree burns?

We don't bat an eye when people suffer consequences for knowingly and intentionally doing stupid things, why should it change if it results in death?
 
Jeez gaf you can think someone did a dumb thing and still empathize with the outcome. You don't have to pick one or the other; one of the benefits of the whole human thing. This forum is weird about shit sometimes.
 

Chococat

Member
Because he wasn't planning on going into the part that is boiling? He was planning on walking on the safe parts to look at the boiling part closer, but fell in.

He stepped off the safe path designated for visitors. I don't care what he was planning on doing off of that safe path. The reality of the danger he put himself (and his sister) doesn't change cause they didn't plan on getting hurt. Reality doesn't warp around human intent.
 

Ray Wonder

Founder of the Wounded Tagless Children
He stepped of the safe path designated for visitors. I don't care what he was planning on doing off of that safe path. The reality of the danger he put himself (and his sister) doesn't change cause they didn't plan on getting hurt. Reality doesn't warp around human intent.

Human intent does influence whether you're doing something willfully or not though. He ignorantly put himself in danger.
 

Saucy_XL

Banned
National Parks are kind of interesting regarding things like this/going off trail. As far as I understand, they generally can't restrict you from accessing things in parks even if it might be dangerous (there are rules about permits during high season though). So there aren't as many barriers or they don't always look as "official". In Yosemite even when they take down the ropes and boards, they can't prevent you from going up Halfdome.

So I can understand walking off the wooden barriers. When I was there last, the signs never said things like "Do not", or "You Cannot", or "Prohibited" - they just said the word "Danger". This actually lead my friends and I to walk on trails roped off and marked "Danger" because they can't restrict general access in most cases. However, we were unlucky in the trail we chose as someone had apparently fallen/pushed off the waterfall that was directly above us. So we we were seen, we were seen as suspicious and no joke 20+ federal agents and vehicles came after us. No where in their documentation did it say it was illegal to go on these trails though, we checked every official document we could find.
 

ishibear

is a goddamn bear
Horrific way to die.

My sympathies to the family. Can't imagine what toll that's gonna take on the sister.
 

Chococat

Member
Human intent does influence whether you're doing something willfully or not though. He ignorantly put himself in danger.

Not with the amount of signage around. One can't claim ignorance when one out ignores the posted rules and safety signs. In this case, he choose to be ignorant. Hence he choose to put himself in danger.
 
So I can understand walking off the wooden barriers. When I was there last, the signs never said things like "Do not", or "You Cannot", or "Prohibited" - they just said the word "Danger". This actually lead my friends and I to walk on trails roped off and marked "Danger" because they can't restrict general access in most cases.

"Danger" in addition to the other warnings should be enough for people to know that you shouldn't be there. I mean you essentially did the same thing he did where you knowingly endangered yourself. I don't really understand how people think they know better than the park officials on safety in Yellowstone.

Not that I'm saying he "deserved" the consequences but it was still his poor decision making and nothing else that led to his demise.
 

Saucy_XL

Banned
"Danger" in addition to the other warnings should be enough for people to know that you shouldn't be there. I mean you essentially did the same thing he did where you knowingly endangered yourself. I don't really understand how people think they know better than the park officials on safety in Yellowstone.

I'll just say the trails we were on were incredibly safe and everything I've hiked in Yosemite legally I'd considerer more dangerous. This dude must have ignored even basic natural instincts of self preservation. It's no secret National Parks do things like this to discourage hikers whether the reason is danger, trail gets to much use, or whatever.
 
As someone who used to work as a land manager for a park system, this kind of behavior is way too common. People have no real concept of the dangers of the natural world anymore, and when coupled with the narcissism feedback loop that social media has created leads to incredibly stupid/selfish behavior from park guests.
 

Ray Wonder

Founder of the Wounded Tagless Children
Not with the amount of signage around. One can't claim ignorance when one out ignores the posted rules and safety signs. In this case, he choose to be ignorant. Hence he choose to put himself in danger.

Seems my definition of willfully endangering yourself is very narrow in context with "mistake". I agree with what's in your post, but still feel this falls as a mistake.

I don't think he deserved the pain and suffering he experienced. It was likely awful beyond imagining. I just don't think it should be called an accident. It was negligence on his part. I've been to Yellowstone. You have to ignore literally hundreds of signs and warnings of all sorts to think it is OK to walk into a field of geothermic activity.

One of the major warnings you get, even though you're meant to stay on the boardwalk, is that ground that appears solid might actually be thin enough to collapse under the weight of a person.

So no, nobody deserves a terrible death like that. But it wasn't an accident. It was his fault.

I definitely agree with this. Me arguing that it was an accident would just be semantics.
 

Mollymauk

Member
According to the yellowstone website.

He fell into this thing.

maxresdefault.jpg


I dont think I wanna go swimming in that

He did not fall into the Grand Prismatic Spring. As you can see this is clearly not 225 yards off the boardwalk.

This is what the clowns trampled to take the selfies.
 

GhaleonEB

Member
There're no rails around a lot of those parts. If the ground immediately off of those platforms was extremely dangerous, they would have them. Lending a small feeling of safety to walking on it. To a person that that gives enough perceived safety, it may not seem like a life threatening idea to walk on it to check out the acid pit 2 football fields away. I believe he made a false step, the ground gave away, and he was sucked into the pit. I can empathize with him on that too, not only the fact that he melted to death.

Why are you talking about this like it's an accident that he wandered off the platform? The lack of railings has nothing to do with this. There are no rails on streets either, but we know not to wander out into traffic because cars can hit you and it will not be good if they do.

The hot springs of Yellowstone literally have big signs all over telling you what they are, how hot and acidic they are, and warning that they can kill you if you get near them, and imploring people to stay on the boardwalks for their own safety. You CANNOT miss them. They're everywhere. Most people heed them, he did not.
 

Aruarian Reflection

Chauffeur de la gdlk
I can't help but scratch my head at the phrase "enough perceived safety" when referring to jumping off a walkway to go check out the scalding hot pit of acid. I've never been to the area myself (I'd like to) but I can only imagine that the warning signs are not limited to the walkway itself, and that there are huge warning signs everywhere imaginable when you arrive at whatever area surrounds it.

I just can't see how someone could mistake just how fucking lethal the place is.

I've been to Yellowstone and it is an amazing place. There are unmissable warning signs plastered everywhere. Ignoring them is an intentional act of stupidity and disrespect for the elements

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Having been to Yellowstone National Park ... these people are idiots! Seriously!!!

You can see that these hot springs are not only dangerous due to temperature but also due to thin crust that is extremely brittle. The walkways are there for a purpose. The warnings signs are all over the place and anybody with any type of sense at all would be afraid to even attempt to do some of the stuff these people are doing.
 
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