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Ryan Shurtz had been trying to save John Jones for 19 hours already that fateful day in 2010. John had gotten himself trapped headfirst and upside down in a narrow passageway in Utah’s Nutty Putty Cave, and Ryan and his team were doing everything they could to get him out. While his men built a pulley system meant to yank John out, Ryan stayed with him, talking to keep him calm.
"I’m sorry I’m so fat," John said. “It would be so much easier for you guys to get me out of here if I wasn’t so fat.” Ryan promised that he’d be his workout buddy when they got out. For now, the pulley was in place, and they were going to start pulling. John needed to get ready.
When they yanked him up, John shrieked in pain. They gave him a break, Ryan talked him through it, and they pulled again.
This time, though, things got worse. A natural arch through which the rope was fed shattered, and the rope broke. A metal carabiner fell and hit Ryan in the face, causing him to bite his tongue in half. John fell back down the hole.
Ryan had to get out. While blood dribbled out of his mouth, he promised John that he’d be back for him. Ryan’s team helped him escape the collapsing cave, and Ryan’s father went in to take over for him. “We’re going to get you out,” he told the man trapped inside. But John was already unconscious. He would never wake up again.
