SUV crashes into geyser

CODY (WNE) —  All five occupants escaped their vehicle after it left a road and plunged into hot, acidic water in Yellowstone National Park on Thursday morning, July 11.

They escaped the vehicle on their own, and each one went by ambulance to a nearby hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The car had gone off the road “inadvertently,” according to the park.

The incident occurred at a thermal feature called Semi-Centennial Geyser located near Roaring Mountain between Mammoth Hot Springs and Norris Junction. The vehicle was fully submerged in about nine feet of water.

The geyser has acidic and hot surface water temperatures ranging around 105 degrees Fahrenheit.

The next day, law enforcement rangers temporarily closed both lanes of the road near the accident in order to safely lift the car out of the thermal feature. The road reopened after about two hours.

The incident is under investigation.

This story was published on July 15, 2024.