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22
Mar

Vancouver Teenagers Use Fencing to Guide 8-Year-Old Safely Down From Ski Lift

Fencing is extremely important for privacy, security, and aesthetic purposes. The fencing market in the U.S. is even projected to reach $11.5 billion by 2024. Recently, a couple quick-thinking Vancouver teenagers were able to turn a fence into a makeshift safety net and rescue a young boy who was dangling from a ski lift.

According to WPXI, at a ski resort in Vancouver, the teenagers were skiing down The Cut when they heard an 8-year-old boy’s cries for help. The boy was dangling from the lift more than 20 feet above the ground and holding on the arm of his father who was on the lift, but wasn’t able to pull the boy back up safely.

It’s not every day that medical facilities see 8-year-old patients with ski-related accidents. Only 3% of patients who come to an urgent care center need to be diverted to an emergency department.

“They pointed to the lift and I saw the kid dangling, and I was like, ‘Holy smokes,'” said Ethan Harvey, one of the teens who sprung into action.

Harvey and four of his friends rushed over to grab some nearby snow fencing which they began using as a makeshift safety net. The young boy was able to kick off his skis and was able to safely descend downward to safety, landing on the fencing that the teenagers were safely holding up.

“The father was yelling for help,” added James MacDonald, one of the rescuers. “The kid’s screaming and the dad’s holding onto him by his hood and arm. By the time this was all finished, the child was flailing about. He was going to fall any second. It was just like in the movies. We told the dad ‘Listen, you just need to trust us.’ Eventually, the dad did let go and the child landed with no injuries at all.”

The child was taken to a nearby hospital as a precaution but appeared to be physically unharmed. Officials at Grouse Mountain ski resort are crediting Good Samaritans on the ground for saving the boy’s life. The mountain has launched a separate investigation and the resort’s president, Michael Cameron, plans to meet with the teenagers and will award them with complimentary season passes for their bravery.

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