Teen Burned After Collapsing in 110-Degree Arizona Heat

An Arizona teenager collapsed onto a burning-hot sidewalk, which gave her third-degree burns, during her walk home from school.

Larry Shaver, the grandfather of high school junior June Shaver, told 12 News that June, 17, has “burns all over her body.” On Aug.1, her second day of school at Dysert High School, the teen was walking two miles home when she collapsed, likely from the 110° heat.

“I think she had a seizure from the heat stroke and passed out,” Shaver told the outlet. When she fell, she split her chin open and burned her body on the pavement, where she remained until a passerby saw the teen and called 911.

When she arrived at the to the ER, her temperature was 106°, according to a GoFundMe established to pay for her care. As her grandfather told 12 News, it’ll be at least a year before she’s able to return to the classroom.

June has already undergone 5 surgeries for third-degree burns on her hands, arms and legs. It’s the most serious classification for burns, as a third-degree burn involves not just all the layers of skin, but sometimes fat and muscle underneath, the Mayo Clinic explains. The burns can destroy nerves and leave significant scarring.

“She’s walked it before and didn’t have any problems, and we made sure she had plenty of, you know, water,” Shaver said. “She stopped and got water on the way, but I guess it was just too late. She’d gotten too hot.”

As her aunt, Brittani Smith, told ABC 15, “She stopped and got water and that is the last thing she remembers.” 

June was walking the two miles home because her school bus route was recently eliminated due to budget cuts, the outlet reports; PEOPLE has reached out to the school district for comment.

“I’m not mad at the district,” Shaver told 12 News. “I understand they have a budget, just I think there was better ways they could do it.” 

In a statement to 12 News, Dysart Unified School District said: “Due to laws regarding student records and medical privacy that we must abide by, we are not able to provide any information on this type of incident. However, we can share that anytime a student has a medical condition or health incident, we work very closely with the family to support the student’s education and ensure they have what they need.”

“Last Spring we had the difficult task of notifying our families about the need to extend our transportation eligibility requirements in order to reduce the daily strain on our aging bus fleet and remain within our budget. With the majority of our buses being 15-20 years old, it is becoming more and more difficult and expensive to maintain them. It has been over 19 years since voters have approved a bond for Dysart, which has impacted a number of needed projects, including bus replacements, along with school safety improvements, AC unit replacements, roof repairs, building a new elementary school, and obtaining land for a high school. The new transportation boundaries were a necessity in order to ensure the district can continue to operate in a fiscally responsible manner. With safety as a top priority, we have shared information about safety to and from school, including heat-related precautions, with our families.”

“It is important to note that a bond question that would have provided funding for new buses was defeated in November, 2024. A bond question is on the ballot again this November, along with an Override Continuation. If the bond measure is approved by voters, we would certainly re-evaluate our transportation situation to determine what would be feasible moving forward.”

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