Senior receives serious burns in scalding dunk tank water

By Logan Olsen 2004

A CFHS student suffered second-degree burns after falling into a dunk tank filled with hot water last Wednesday. The incident occurred during the homecoming outdoor barbeque lunch.
Senior John Hampton had volunteered to sit in the dunk tank on a day with temperatures in the upper 40s. In order to compensate for the cold weather, the plan was to fill the tank with warm water.

After the tank was filled, Hampton climbed onto the bench over the tank, and senior TJ Miller had the unlucky opportunity to throw the first pitch that sent Hampton into the scalding water.

“He had a hard time getting out of the tank at first. There was not ladder or nothing. He had to jump out,” Miller said.

According to Miller, no one noticed anything was out of the ordinary until it was too late.

“Everyone was laughing at him just like they should when someone falls into a dunk tank, but when he got out, he was red all over and saying, ‘That’s hot.’ We looked down at his feet and skin was coming off.”

After Hampton left the tank, he went to the trainer’s room, and eventually he and the nurse went to Sartori Hospital. they treated the burns, and then he went home.

Hampton was seriously burned, including blisters and dead skin on his legs. It is expected to take a week to two weeks for his recovery.

“I have to clean the blisters with water and peroxide, and then keep my legs wrapped so they don’t get infected. I also have to put on zinc bacterium to help keep the infection out,” Hampton said.

According to him, the burns are not causing him much pain. “The only time it really hurt was that day, and then the pain pretty much stopped.”

Hampton said he volunteered for the dunk tank at a student senate meeting and that no one was really at fault for the “freak accident.”

Hampton said, “I feel that the tank was heated just so nobody caught hypothermia that day, and obviously it took longer than expected to cool off.”