Arizona Teen Suffers Third-Degree Burns ‘All Over Her Body’ After Collapsing on Sidewalk in 110-Degree Heat

An Arizona teenager collapsed onto a scorching sidewalk during her walk home from school, suffering third-degree burns.

Larry Shaver, the grandfather of 17-year-old June Shaver, told 12 News that June now has “burns all over her body.” On August 1, her second day back at Dysart High School, June was walking the two miles home in 110° heat when she collapsed.

“I think she had a seizure from the heat stroke and passed out,” her grandfather said. When she fell, she split her chin open and burned her body on the pavement. She lay there until someone passing by saw her and called 911.

According to a GoFundMe set up to cover medical expenses, June’s temperature was 106° when she arrived at the hospital. Doctors have told the family it could be at least a year before she’s able to return to class.

June has already had five surgeries for her third-degree burns, which affect her hands, arms, and legs. Third-degree burns are the most severe, going through every layer of skin and sometimes damaging fat and muscle underneath, according to the Mayo Clinic. They can also destroy nerves and leave permanent scars.

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

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

June had to walk because her bus route was recently cut due to budget issues, 12 News reported. The Dysart Unified School District shared a statement with PEOPLE, explaining that it could not discuss the incident directly but works closely with families whenever students face medical challenges.

The district said it had to change transportation eligibility last spring because its bus fleet is old and costly to maintain. With most buses 15–20 years old and no new funding in nearly two decades, the district explained that the changes were necessary to stay within budget. Officials also noted that a bond measure that could have funded new buses was rejected by voters in 2024, but another bond question will appear on the ballot this November.

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