In 2019, a man fell into thermal water near the cone of Old Faithful and suffered severe burns. Two years prior, a man sustained severe burns after falling in a hot spring in the Lower Geyser Basin. In 2016, a man left the boardwalk and died after slipping into a hot spring in Norris Geyser Basin.

Falling into Old Faithful, or any geothermal feature in Yellowstone National Park, is almost certainly a fatal event. The water temperature just below the surface can reach up to 204°F (95°C), which is near boiling, and it increases with depth. If a human falls in, they would suffer immediate third-degree burns over 100% of their body, leading to rapid shock and organ failure. Because many of these pools are highly acidic (with a pH similar to battery acid), the body can actually begin to dissolve in the water within hours, a horrific process known as "hot water thermal decomposition." In 2026, the National Park Service maintains strict boardwalks and warnings because the "crust" around these geysers is often only an inch thick, concealing a reservoir of scalding water and steam. There have been recorded instances where bystanders attempted rescues and also perished. Recovery of remains is often impossible or dangerous for rangers. The sheer heat and chemical intensity of the water mean that a fall is not a "drowning" event, but a catastrophic thermal and chemical trauma from which survival is biologically impossible.