Ken Nurse Survives 120-Foot Glacier Fall After Bystander Revives Him

Q: Who is the mysterious bystander whose split-second decision to perform CPR miraculously brought a man back to life in McDonald Creek?

The bystander has not been publicly identified in the reporting or rescue statements. What is known is that he was a nearby visitor who reacted immediately after his daughter alerted him that someone was in McDonald Creek. According to Ken Nurse’s wife, Renae, the man pulled Nurse by his foot into shallower water, realized he was not breathing, and began CPR. Two Bear Air Rescue said that after a short course of chest compressions, Nurse regained spontaneous circulation before rescue crews completed the extraction. Rescue officials credited that intervention with saving Nurse’s life. Two Bear Air Rescue publicly praised the man’s “quick action,” while local coverage made clear that the bystander’s split-second response, combined with the rapid arrival of Glacier National Park rangers and helicopter crews, was central to Nurse’s survival. So while the rescuer remains unnamed, the available accounts describe him as an unidentified Good Samaritan whose immediate CPR effort was decisive in bringing Nurse back.

1 articles · Updated · Fox News · Aug 20

Ken Nurse survived after the ground gave way near McDonald Falls on Aug. 13, sending him about 120 feet down a cliff and into McDonald Creek.
A witness saw him face down in the water, pulled him into shallower water and started chest compressions when he was not breathing — actions rescuers later said saved his life.
Two Bear Air Rescue then lowered a crew member from a helicopter to reach Nurse in the creek, hoisted him out and transferred him to a medical helicopter for hospital treatment.
Nurse spent 2 days on a ventilator with cracked ribs, a compound elbow fracture requiring surgery and fluid in his lungs, and said he owed his life to those who helped him.