Student Scalded On-Campus At UTEP

EL PASO, TX. – AUTEP student is getting treatment for second degree burns she received on theUTEP campus.

“I saw what looked like smoke andI thought that someone might have thrown their cigarette out and that it had caught weeds or something on fire,” said Alma Garcia. But whenshewent to check it out, she says her left foot broke through the ground and into a broken pipe with boiling water! Her foot and part of her leg were scalded.

Garcia says it happened Monday afternoon as she was walking to Kelly Hall near the campus entrance. The Lubbock Burn Center confirms Garcia is being treated for burns. “I was scared. It hurt so bad. And this process has been so painful becauseI have pictures where you just see all this skin hanging off and I’ve got these huge blisters,” Garcia adds, describing what happened.

The university has issueda statement, saying, “UTEP officials confirm that a student was injured in an accident on campus on Monday. Due to privacy laws, the university cannot discuss specifics of the incident, but is currently looking into how and why the accident occurred.”

When asked what privacy laws would keep the university from commenting – in any detail – on the incident – spokeswoman Kimberly Miller said it’s because she can’t comment on Garcia’s injuries. Officials are still investigating