DEATH VALLEY, Calif. (WKRC) - A man was rescued from the oppressive heat of one of the country's hottest National Parks after the skin melted off his feet, according to the .
Park rangers said a 42-year-old Belgian tourist suffered third-degree burns when he lost his flip-flops in the sand dunes of Death Valley.
"The ground temperature would have been much hotter than the air temperature, which was around 123 degrees," officials said.
His family called authorities for help and other parkgoers helped them carry the tourist to the parking lot, the release stated.
Authorities reported the tourist suffered third-degree "full-thickness" burns on his feet. A National Park ranger said, "The skin was melted off his foot."
Park rangers instantly recognized the man required a hospital due to his burns and pain level, but Death Valley was so hot that it was dangerous for a helicopter to land.
The rangers had to drive the man to higher elevations in an ambulance where the temperature was 109 degrees. Mercy Air transported the man to University Medical Center in Las Vegas.
Park rangers gave some advice to those interested in visiting Death Valley during the heat:
keepingthecommontone on July 28th, 2024 at 23:07 UTC »
adding "from the bottoms of his feet" would have significantly changed the image I had in my mind after reading this headline.
moocow4125 on July 28th, 2024 at 22:39 UTC »
We need a sign under death valley that says death valley.
rnilf on July 28th, 2024 at 22:04 UTC »
How does someone wake up one day and think to themselves, "I'm going to visit a place called Death Valley today, you know what I'll wear? Flip-flops."
Mind boggling.