David F. Gulini saved Tyler V. Sosin from suffocation, Alta, Utah, March 17, 1992. Tyler, 6, was disembarking from a ski resort’s chair lift when the cord of his pass, which he wore around his neck, became snagged by the footrest of his chair. The chair continued to move a short distance before the lift stopped, suspending Tyler by the neck about 15 feet above the ground. He lost consciousness. Gulini, 37, an electrician employed by the resort, responded to the scene. He immediately climbed to the top of the nearest lift tower, which was about 35 feet from Tyler’s chair, then crawled to the end of the tower’s crossbeam. Maneuvering over the lift’s cable guidewheels, Gulini grasped the cable with his hands and feet, then pulled himself hand-over-hand to Tyler’s chair. He lowered himself into the chair, then reached down and released the cord of Tyler’s pass from the footrest. Tyler dropped safely into the arms of others. He was revived, then hospitalized overnight for observation. He recovered.
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