A 10-year-old held a 6-year-old boy dangling from a chairlift about 16 feet above the ground for 4 minutes; he has now received the Carnegie Medal

A ski trip in Virginia took an unexpected turn on Jan. 26, 2025, when a 6-year-old boy slipped off a moving chairlift and dangled above rough, sloping ground. Sitting beside him was Major Metzger, then 10, who grabbed the younger boy’s arms and held on until ski patrol reached them with a safety mat. The chair was about 16 feet above the ground, and the boy remained suspended for approximately 4 minutes. He eventually fell onto the mat, suffering a small bump on his head, and did not require further medical treatment. Metzger’s actions have since earned him the Carnegie Medal, one of North America’s highest honours for civilian heroism. Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger presented the medal to him in September 2026, formally recognising a rescue that began with a child trying to keep his friend from falling.How Major Metzger held a 6-year-old boy above the groundAccording to the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission, the incident happened at a ski resort in Nellysford, Virginia, on Jan. 26, 2025. Six-year-old Bryce Rader was boarding a 4-person chairlift with 3 other children, including Metzger and their sisters. As the lift began moving uphill, Rader struggled to sit securely with his ski equipment. His helmet and skis added to the difficulty as he began sliding off the seat. Metzger, seated immediately beside him, grabbed him and tried to pull him back onto the chair. Workers were alerted and attempted to stop the lift, but Rader had already fallen completely off the seat by the time it came to a full stop. The bottom of the chair was about 16 feet above rugged, sloping ground.Metzger leaned forward and down, holding Rader’s arms with both gloved hands. He was wearing a helmet and skis himself, making the position particularly difficult as he tried to keep the younger boy from falling. He continued holding Rader while ski patrol made its way beneath the chair with a safety mat. Once rescuers were in position, they instructed Metzger to let go. Rader fell onto the mat and bounced off it, sustaining a small bump on his head. Medical staff evaluated him, but he did not need additional treatment and recovered. Metzger also made it safely off the lift. His arms were sore and he was shaken by the experience, although he did not require medical treatment. The Carnegie Hero Fund’s account documents the sequence of events, from Rader’s difficulty boarding to the moment ski patrol positioned the mat. It does not suggest that Metzger had time to plan his response. He acted as the situation unfolded and continued holding on until rescuers could reach the children.Carnegie Medal: what the civilian heroism award recognisesThe Carnegie Hero Fund Commission describes the Carnegie Medal as North America’s highest honour for civilian heroism. It recognises people in the United States and Canada who risk death or serious physical injury to an extraordinary degree while saving, or attempting to save, another person. The award is administered by the Pittsburgh-based Carnegie Hero Fund Commission, established by industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie in 1904. On March 24, 2026, the commission announced 18 new medal recipients, including Metzger. The announcement described the recognised acts as involving people who risked serious injury or death, or were killed, while trying to save others. The people saved by recipients in that round included 11 children.The Carnegie Hero Fund Commission’s latest award announcement puts the total number of Carnegie Medal recipients at 10,597 since the fund was established in 1904. The commission also reports that more than $47 million has been distributed through one-time grants, scholarship aid, death benefits and continuing assistance. The award is not limited to professional rescuers. Its purpose is to recognise extraordinary civilian acts in which people place themselves in danger to protect others. Metzger’s case illustrates how such an act can occur in an everyday setting, without specialist equipment or time to prepare.Other people recognised in the March 2026 announcement included Sean Hayes, a 33-year-old teacher who helped rescue a 15-year-old student set on fire at a school in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, and Matt Vasey, a 54-year-old man who pulled the pilot from a floatplane that flipped over and crashed in a lake in Bellevue, Washington. The pilot later died from his injuries. The commission publishes individual citations describing the circumstances of each rescue, as well as information about its award consideration process.Major Metzger receives the Carnegie Medal in September 2026The medal announcement was not the final recognition of Metzger’s actions. Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger presented Metzger with the Carnegie Medal in Virginia Beach on Sept. 16, 2026, according to a news release published by the governor’s office on Sept. 17. Spanberger praised Metzger’s courage, saying his actions represented the best of Virginia. The ceremony was attended by members of his family, school officials and local leaders.The presentation recognised an event that had occurred more than a year earlier, when Metzger was still 10. The official citation identifies Rader as the child he saved and records the date and location of the chairlift incident. The Carnegie Medal’s recognition of Metzger places his actions among a long history of civilian rescues involving fires, accidents, drowning incidents and other emergencies. In this case, the danger developed quickly, and the child who intervened was also exposed to the risk of falling.What the chairlift rescue showsThe incident highlights how quickly a routine ski outing can become an emergency, particularly when a young child struggles to sit securely on a moving lift. It also shows the importance of trained ski patrol teams and rescue equipment: patrol members brought a safety mat beneath the chair and directed the moment when Metzger should release his grip. The official account does not assign blame to the children or their families. Instead, it records how Metzger responded to his friend’s predicament and how rescuers helped bring the incident to a safe conclusion.For families, the practical lesson is to follow the individual resort’s chairlift instructions, ask lift staff for assistance when a child needs help boarding, and take concerns about a child’s ability to ride safely seriously. Specific procedures can vary by resort, so families should consult the resort’s own guidance rather than assume that one set of instructions applies everywhere. Metzger’s actions were recognised because he continued holding Rader until trained help was in position. His Carnegie Medal formally recognises the actions of a 10-year-old who held on to another child until ski patrol could assist.You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test.