River Barry

River Barry rescued a man from falling from a cliff face, Moab, Utah, November 26, 2022. During a BASE jumping festival, the 39-year-old man leapt from a 400-foot cliff when his parachute opened in the wrong direction, causing him to slam into the cliffside, breaking his leg. He then plummeted until his chute was caught on an outcropping of rock, where he dangled about 70 feet from the ground. Barry, a 30-year-old mental health therapist and recreational rock climber, ran to the scene and used her climbing gear to ascend a crack, up to a foot wide, that ran up the side of the cliff to directly below the man. With the BASE jumper’s friend belaying her, Barry climbed to a point above the man, clipped him to her harness, cut away his parachute, and descended to the ground bearing the man’s weight with the help of the belayer to waiting rescuers. The man suffered a compound fracture of his leg, for which he underwent extensive physical therapy. Barry was unhurt.