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When a man was swept away in the Yellowstone River and left clinging to a cooler in a fast-moving current, 14-year-old Jory Thomas didn’t hesitate. The Montana teen grabbed a lariat, relied on rodeo skills he’d practiced for months and helped pull the struggling man to safety in a rescue that has since earned statewide recognition.
Thomas was camping with his family near Greycliff, Montana, reported local television station KTVQ-TV, when a raft struck a bridge pillar and threw several people into the river. While most made it safely to shore, one man was unable to escape the powerful current and began calling for help.
Armed with a 12-foot lariat he had brought on the trip, Thomas rushed into the water, roped the man on his first attempt and pulled him safely to shore. The dramatic rescue earned him honors from local law enforcement and recognition from Sen. Steve Daines, who named him Montanan of the Month.
How the Yellowstone River rescue unfolded
The rescue happened around 5 p.m. on July 5, Sweet Grass County Sheriff Alan Ronneberg confirmed to USA TODAY.
A group was rafting near a bridge that crosses the Yellowstone River when the raft struck one of the bridge’s pillars, ejecting the people onboard.
“All but one individual was able to swim to shore,” Ronneberg said. One man remained stranded in the river, holding onto a cooler and yelling for help as the current carried him downstream.
Thomas witnessed the incident and immediately ran to his family’s vehicle to retrieve a lariat, a rope commonly used by cowboys and ranchers to catch livestock.
He then entered the river, looped the rope around the struggling man and pulled him safely back to shore.
‘I think I just saved a life’
Thomas later told KTVQ-TV that he was camping with his family near Greycliff, about 73 miles west of Billings, when the rescue occurred.
According to the station, four people were thrown into the river after a raft and paddleboard collided with the bridge pillar. Thomas said he quickly realized one of them was in serious trouble.
“This current was pretty fast then, and he was moving pretty quickly,” Thomas told the station. “Only thing I could focus on was helping him get out of the water because I didn’t want to see anyone go in front of me.”
With lariat in hand, the teen ran through waist-deep water to get close enough for a throw.
“First instinct I thought was (to) try and rope him and drag him out before he gets too far down the river,” he said. “Luckily, I caught him (on the) first try.”
Thomas then pulled the man through chest-deep water and guided him safely to shore. First responders later arrived to assist.
Afterward, his grandmother recalled the teen’s simple reaction to what had happened.
“He comes up, and he said, ‘I think I just saved a life,'” she told KTVQ-TV.
Rodeo practice prepared him for the moment
Thomas said he only began roping cattle this year but has spent countless hours practicing.
“Every afternoon when it cools off, I go out and rope the roping dummy,” he told the station.
He never imagined those skills would one day help save another person’s life.
“I just thought I could help with cattle,” Thomas said. “Not really helping humans and stuff like that. But I’m glad I was here to help.”
His grandmother, Sandy Thomas, said he normally doesn’t take the lariat with him, making its presence on the camping trip feel especially fortunate.
‘Go get him, you got it’
Looking back, Thomas believes he was meant to be in the right place at the right time.
“God was basically putting me in the place of all this,” he told KTVQ-TV. “God was just telling me all of this at the time and saying, ‘Go get him, you got it, and I believe in you.'”
Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY’s trending team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Email her at sdmartin@usatoday.com.