Shocking video: did an Oregon man dissolve alive in Yellowstone?

A new video is spreading quickly across the Internet as it tells a shocking story: that a man from Oregon fell into a hot spring in Yellowstone and was dissolved to death by the acidic water. The horrifying death is illustrated with animation explaining how the acid ate away at his body until nothing was left.

Is the story of an Oregon man dissolving in a Yellowstone hot spring true?

As crazy and bizarre as this story sounds: it's true.

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In 2016, an Oregon man visiting Yellowstone with his sister slipped and fell accidentally into a hot spring. While his sister tried to save him, she was unable to, and by the time help arrived, the man had died. Due to a lightning storm, rescuers could not retrieve the body that day, and on the next day, nothing remained except a wallet and a pair of flip-flops.

The man's death was not the first of its kind in Yellowstone, and will not be the last.

The "hot spring death" video going viral

Here's the video that's been going around social media. It's made by Zack D. Films. As you can tell from the above story, this video does have some inaccuracies,  likely made for the point of storytelling. The animation is certainly shocking and eye catching.

The man also wasn't taking a selfie when he fell in - he was trying to check the temperature of the water to see if it was safe to "hot pot."

What is "hot potting"?

The man and his sister had wandered off into an area of Yellowstone where the public was not permitted. Their goal was to "hot pot" - a catchy term for soaking in hot springs. Hot spring soaking has been a practice that goes back longer than written human history, but as Healthline explains, "hot potting" comes with risks. Of particular concern is the temperature of the hot spring - while some are a safe level for humans, others are capable of leaving serious burns.

Yellowstone deaths are a reminder to pay attention to rules

The man in this story suffered a terrible death, but it also serves as a cautionary tale to respect nature - and the rules of the places you are visiting.

Yellowstone's rules include no swimming or soaking in the hot springs. The park's safety page also reminds people that they must stay on boardwalks, and leave if they feel ill as it may be due to exposure of toxic gases. The National Park Service even leaves this warning: "More than 20 people have died from burns suffered after they entered or fell into Yellowstone’s hot springs."

When it comes to injury and death at Yellowstone, the hot springs have accounted for more than anything else - including wildlife. Statistically, you have a greater chance of getting harmed by hot, sulfuric water than you do getting gored by a bison or suffering from exposure to the elements. That's pretty serious - which is why the park has its rules. They're not meant just to protect natural features from visitors - they're meant to protect visitors from those natural features.

Nature is dangerous. Remember that whenever you go out into the great outdoors.

Or, as Family Guy put it: