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Claim: Man is burned to death attempting to rescue dog from boiling hot spring.
Origins: Self-preservation is one of the most powerful instincts a human being — or any animal — possesses. Human intelligence gives us the ability to detect dangers other creatures may not perceive, but it also endows us with emotions that can sometimes overpower our 
rational judgment. When someone near and dear to us — a spouse, a child, a beloved pet — is threatened, our impulse to act in aid can overcome our instinct for self-preservation and lead us to confront death in ways we would never otherwise conceive. The tale that follows is one example of this phenomenon, concerning a man who died in one of the most gruesome ways imaginable in an attempt to rescue a friend's dog.
The hot springs found in abundance throughout Yellowstone National Park's thermal areas are bubbling cauldrons of steam and boiling water, most of them hotter than 150°F, and many of them in the On
Kirwan and Ratliff rushed over to the pool to aid the terrified dog, and Kirwan's attitude indicated he was about to go into the spring after it. According to bystanders, several people tried to warn Kirwan off by yelling at him not to jump in, but he shouted "Like hell I won't!" back at them, took two steps into the pool, and then dove head-first into the boiling spring. Kirwan swam out to the dog and attempted to take it to shore; he then disappeared underwater, let go of the dog, and tried to climb out of the pool. Ratliff helped pull Kirwan out of the hot spring (resulting in second-degree burns to his own feet), and another visitor led Kirwan to the sidewalk as he reportedly muttered, "That was stupid. How bad am I? That was a stupid thing I did." Kirwan was indeed in very bad shape. He was blind, and when another park visitor tried to remove one of his shoes, his skin (which was already peeling everywhere) came off with it. He sustained third-degree burns to 100% of his body, including his head, and died the following morning at a Salt Lake City hospital. (Moosie did not survive, either.) Perhaps David Allen Kirwan didn't realize just how hot the thermal springs really are, perhaps he didn't consider the deadly effect submersion in water of such temperatures would have on him, or perhaps blind emotion drove him to act without taking even the briefest moment to consider his own safety. Foolish, brave, rash, or otherwise, can any of us imagine a circumstance, no matter how dire, under which would willingly dive head-first into a pool of boiling water? Update: A mere three days after we published this page, yet another (non-fatal) incident of this type occurred in Yellowstone when a 39-year-old tourist from Washington state entered a thermal pool in an attempt to rescue a dog which had bolted from his family's motor home and jumped into the scalding waters. The man was fortunate to have suffered only second-degree burns and was released from the hospital the next day. Last updated: 18 January 2007 This material may not be reproduced without permission. snopes and the snopes.com logo are registered service marks of snopes.com.  Sources:
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