‘Burns everywhere’: Arizona teen collapses from heatstroke on walk home from school

June Shaver was walking home from Dysart High School in El Mirage when she fainted, suffering serious burns as a result of the scorching asphalt.

The 17-year-old collapsed from heatstroke, her grandfather, Larry Shaver, said. It was the first week of school. Students in Dysart Unified School District returned for the 2025-26 year on July 31.

When paramedics responded, June Shaver had a core temperature of about 107 degrees, her grandfather said.

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“As bad as it is, we’re lucky at the same time,” Larry Shaver said. “Whether she’d still be here or not was in question.”

‘She’s got burns everywhere,’ grandfather says

June Shaver stopped at a convenience store for water and a break with a friend before they separated, Larry Shaver said.

When police arrived, she had a busted chin and was on the street, he said.

She was taken to the Halle Arizona Burn Center, according to Matthew Brownfield, her cousin.

“Her spirits are probably better than ours are, actually, other than when she’s in a lot of pain,” Larry Shaver said.

MORE: How to tell if someone needs help in extreme heat—and what to do

June spent 29 days in the hospital and endured five surgeries, he said.

“She’s got burns everywhere. The worst is the left hand,” he said.

Photos showed the extent of June Shaver’s injuries. The burn area covered much of the left side of her body, including her arm, leg, hand and torso.

“Last night was the first time I’ve seen her leg since the grafting, and yeah, she’s got a long way to go,” her grandfather said.

After nearly a month in the hospital, teen returns home

June Shaver finally returned home on Aug. 30.

“She was very happy to be home. … Back in her own bed,” Larry Shaver said. “She’s been missing her dog.”

Her recovery was expected to last anywhere from a year and 18 months. June Shaver’s skin grafts were still healing, with scarring and related swelling only now starting, Larry Shaver said.

He said he hoped his granddaughter would soon return to a normal life, including accommodation from her high school to ensure she graduated on time, in an effort not to hinder a future already filled with goals.

“She’s a very good artist, but her dream is to be a forensic pathologist. She wants to do autopsies, and her plan after high school is to go into the Army,” Larry Shaver said.

Brownfield organized a GoFundMe to support recovery expenses. As of Aug. 30, more than $3,000 had been raised.

The money would help pay for medical equipment that would aid her recovery, including a compression bodysuit that she would wear for 23 hours a day.

“She’s gonna hate it, and I wouldn’t blame her,” her grandfather said.

Voters’ decision to vote down bonds led to transit limits, district says

June Shaver lived within 2 miles of her high school, meaning she was ineligible for bus transportation.

A spokesperson for Dysart Unified did not comment on the specifics of June Shaver’s incident, but did address the district’s transportation limits.

“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,” Renee Ryon said in a statement. “With the majority of our buses being 15-20 years old, it is becoming more and more difficult and expensive to maintain them.”

Dysart Unified voters have not approved a bond in more than 19 years, she said. A bond proposal that would have provided funding for new buses was defeated in November 2024, she said.

“The new transportation boundaries were a necessity in order to ensure the district can continue to operate in a fiscally responsible manner,” Ryon said. “With safety as a top priority, we have shared information about safety to and from school, including heat-related precautions, with our families.”

A bond question will be on the ballot again in November, she said.

“If the bond measure is approved by voters, we would certainly re-evaluate our transportation situation to determine what would be feasible moving forward,” Ryon said.

Rey Covarrubias Jr. reports breaking news for The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com. Email him at: [email protected], and connect with him on Instagram, Threads, Bluesky and X at @ReyCJrAZ.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: ‘Burns everywhere’: Arizona teen collapses from heatstroke on walk home from school

Reporting by Rey Covarrubias Jr., Arizona Republic / Arizona Republic