Carnegie Hero Medal

[Paddlegal]

I was just crusing the net and stopped at the Carnegie Medal site and saw this. Anybody know this fella? He has passed on (not at this incident), but here is the story of his good deed.

CONRAD FOURNEY, now deceased--Boise, Idaho
Conrad Fourney saved Sarah R. Cox from drowning, Banks, Idaho, November 26, 2006. Cox, 57, was navigating rapids in the Payette River when the bow of her kayak became pinned among rocks in the
approximate center of the river. Trapped in her kayak in the rushing water, she lay partially submerged across an exposed rock as others, including her husband and members of a responding rescue squad, made repeated attempts to reach her. An expert kayaker, Fourney, 47, flooring contractor, was alerted to the situation and responded to the scene. Using a borrowed dry suit, helmet, and life jacket, he boarded an inflatable kayak and paddled to a position below Cox. When he backed the kayak to the rock on which Cox lay, Cox grasped the craft and held to it as Fourney stood and leapt to the rock. Standing, Fourney grasped Cox’s life jacket and tugged repeatedly, releasing her and her kayak. They spilled off the rock, Cox inverted in her kayak. Fourney uprighted her and accompanied her downstream to where a rescue boat took them to safety. Cox required hospital treatment for hypothermia and an aggravated shoulder injury, from which she recovered.

[waterhog]

never met conrad but heard lots of good things about him

[Cowper]

Didn't know him, but I remember the reports that circulated in paddling circles at the time. He did what others there that day were unable to do; any recognition received is well deserved.

[poserwannabe]

I never met him, but when I went to see B a couple years back, he had passed away on the Payette I think it was two days before I got there. You could still see his boat pinned in the rapid where it happened. He was the king of the north fork and there were ALOT of peole at his memorial service. I also believe I heard he had some stuff to do with the pioneer days of the Stikine runs. Like I said never met him, but from all that shared stories of him, seemed like an extremely classy guy. Dont know if you guys have seen it but B put up a helmet cam stikine run on youtube. Check it out, pretty sick!

[Richard]

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