Trinidad teen hospitalized after chemical burns linked to water issues

A 16-year-old Trinidad girl ended up in the hospital after repeated showers at home left her with chemical burns, turning the city’s water dispute into a direct public-health crisis for one Las Animas County family. Her parents, Dave and Misty Logan, said she first noticed skin problems after showering on May 28, then got worse after two more showers. Medical records from Children’s Health Dallas reportedly described her injury as “most likely chemical burn/severe dermatitis from water she was exposed to.”

The hospitalization comes as Trinidad residents have spent weeks raising alarms about water quality, sharing images of discolored water and demanding answers from city leaders. FOX 4 Dallas-Fort Worth reported that the city was in the middle of changing a disinfectant in its water system when the girl showered, and that the conversion process ended on May 30. That timeline has sharpened questions about what, exactly, was in the water when the teen was exposed and whether residents were given enough warning during the treatment change.

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality confirmed it had received a complaint about Trinidad’s water quality and said an investigation was ongoing. That inquiry now sits alongside a family that says it is considering legal action against the city, while neighbors continue to wonder what precautions they should take at home until officials provide clearer answers about testing, treatment and safety.

The case also lands in the middle of a broader backlash over how Trinidad has handled criticism of its water system. On May 21, a Henderson County grand jury declined to indict Jennifer Combs after she was charged over a Facebook post about alleged water-related hospitalizations, and a municipal judge dismissed charges against YouTube journalist Winston Noles after his arrest for disorderly conduct during a live-streamed protest. Those actions became part of a wider First Amendment fight over how the city responded to public complaints.

City leaders have said the water problem has existed for years, but the Trinidad Police Department chief denied anyone had been hospitalized even as residents kept circulating the images of discolored water. Now, with a teenager treated for injuries tied to the water she used at home, the cost of the dispute is no longer abstract.