Millcreek, Utah, Mayor Jeff Silvestrini, right, presented the Carnegie Medal to one of his constituents, River Barry, at an Aug. 12 council meeting held at the city hall.
“(We’re) super proud for your humanity and your heroism,” said Silvestrini. “That took something to actually be willing to climb up an unknown territory, on a rock crack that hadn’t been climbed before. That’s courage and care for your fellow man.”
Barry was preparing for a bike ride in Moab, Utah, on Nov. 26, 2022, when she encountered an emergency situation that left a man dangling by his parachute from a parapet on a cliff face, about 70 feet above the ground.
The man was participating in a BASE jumping festival when he jumped from a 400-foot cliff, but his parachute deployed in the wrong direction and caused him to slam into the cliff face. His parachute was caught on an outcropping, leaving him dangling, while he sustained severe injuries from the impact. Thirty-year-old River Barry was flagged down by the man’s friend, asking if anyone had climbing gear. Barry, a mental health therapist of Millcreek, went to the scene and used her own climbing gear and recreational experience to ascend a crack that ran up the side of the cliff directly below the injured man. No one had climbed the crack before and locals referred to the sandstone on the cliff as “slick rock” for its slippery conditions. With the help of the man’s friend belaying her from the ground, Barry climbed to a point above the man and clipped her harness to his. She cut away his parachute and descended to the ground, bearing the man’s weight, to waiting rescuers. The man suffered a compound fracture of his leg and underwent extensive physical therapy. Barry was not injured.
Barry was joined by friends and family at the presentation to witness her receive the medal. A video about the history of the Hero Fund and its mission was played before Mayor Silvestrini detailed the events of Barry’s rescue to the council. He praised her for the extraordinary actions she took to save a life.
