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MILLCREEK — Another Utahn has received the Carnegie Medal for heroism in saving another person's life.
Unified Fire Authority's Thomas Elbrecht was backcountry skiing in December 2022 when he came across a skier who had been trapped under an avalanche for about 45 minutes.
Elbrecht waited with the skier, who was injured, for search and rescue crews to retrieve them without triggering another avalanche — a wait that lasted seven hours.
The Carnegie Medal is an award given to individuals who perform what the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission calls "extraordinary acts of heroism," risking serious injury and possibly death to save others.
Elbrecht declined KSL.com's request for comment.
Kamas resident Joe Donnell was announced in September as a Utah recipient of the Carnegie Medal for saving a 9-year-old boy submerged in a lake inside a truck in August 2022.
Elbrecht was announced as a recipient in the fourth and last batch of medal recipients for 2023. Among Elbrecht's group are two men who died in efforts to save their son and wife.
To learn more about the Carnegie Medal and the December 2023 awardees, visit the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission's website.
