ПРОГРАМИ
en de ru fr es sr gr al tr ro
Podcast in English
Share
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2024 All Rights Reserved

US Marine thanks Bulgarian rescuers for second chance at life

Last November, US Navy Lieutenant Commander James Barlow (L) was hiking on Vihren Peak when he lost his footing and fell more than 200 metres.
Photo: US embassy in Sofia

5 November 2023 is a date US Marine James Barlow will always remember. It was the day he conquered Vihren Peak in the Pirin Mountains, but minutes later his life took a dramatic turn. He fell over 200 metres at a speed of 60 km/h and landed on his head. He suffered severe hypothermia. 
James Barlow, a Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Navy, was hiking on Vihren Peak when he lost his footing and fell 220 meters
"I don't remember what happened, I hit my head, had a brain haemorrhage and lost consciousness," says James Barlow. It was his wife who alerted emergency services when he didn't return home. 

The couple's young son retrieved the GPS coordinates from James' mobile phone, making the rescue much easier. Twenty mountain rescuers set out immediately and found him 10 hours after the accident. "We were surprised that he was still alive. Our eyes widened when he responded," recalls Ivo, one of the rescuers.

James was first admitted to the Military Medical Academy, where doctors fought for his life. A month later, he came out of a coma in a US hospital. "I feel like one of the luckiest people in the world," James admits today. Now fully recovered, he has returned to Bulgaria to thank his rescuers and to donate BGN 12,000 (almost €6,000) to the Mountain Rescue Service for team training.

"My family and I will never stop being grateful because without these amazing people here in Bulgaria I wouldn't be alive, I would have died in the mountains. There are good people in the world who really want to help others," says James. 

Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.
Radio Bulgaria Life    james barlow mountains rescue team

More from category

Bulgarian high school students fight disinformation

Modernizing critical thinking skills, fact-checking skills and media literacy are essential for society, especially for young people in Bulgaria - the country with one of the lowest media literacy indices in the EU, reports the educational platform..

published on 12/1/24 5:05 AM

Festive magic with songs, dances and meetings with Santa Claus- a Christmas town opens in Pleven

The residents of Pleven (Central North Bulgaria) will bid farewell to 2024 with a Christmas Town and meetings with Santa Claus. This year's festive program of the local municipality will start on December 2 with the Christmas tree lighting ceremony at..

published on 11/30/24 8:05 AM

Bulgaria becomes the fourth European country to implement innovations for the treatment of chronic wounds

An innovation for the treatment of diabetic foot ulcer using the patient's own tissue and artificial intelligence has been implemented at the University Multi-profile Hospital for Active Treatment-Burgas. Bulgaria is the fourth European country to start..

published on 11/30/24 6:10 AM

WEATHER
Pick city: Sofía
Mostly Cloudy
Min: 1 | Max: 5
Rain
Min: 8 | Max: 11
Scattered showers
Min: 6 | Max: 10
Cloudy
Min: 3 | Max: 5
Snow
Min: 1 | Max: 2
Rain / Snow
Min: 1 | Max: 3
Snow
Min: 0 | Max: 3
Cloudy
Min: 3 | Max: 6
Rain
Min: 4 | Max: 5
Mostly Cloudy
Min: 3 | Max: 7
Snow
Min: 0 | Max: 2
Scattered showers
Min: 2 | Max: 3
Scattered showers
Min: 4 | Max: 6
Cloudy
Min: 1 | Max: 4
Scattered showers
Min: 2 | Max: 3
Scattered showers
Min: 4 | Max: 6
Scattered showers
Min: 1 | Max: 4
Scattered showers
Min: 3 | Max: 5
Cloudy
Min: 3 | Max: 6
Scattered showers
Min: 5 | Max: 6
Rain / Snow
Min: 2 | Max: 4
Cloudy
Min: 1 | Max: 4
Scattered showers
Min: 4 | Max: 6
Scattered showers
Min: 2 | Max: 4
Rain
Min: 5 | Max: 6
Scattered showers
Min: 3 | Max: 6
Scattered showers
Min: 5 | Max: 7
BULGARIA IN PICTURES
Which world-famous Bulgarian artist designed QSL cards for Radio Bulgaria?
Yasen Gyuzelev
Theodore Ushev
Christo Javacheff - Christo
Ilia Peikov
Lika Yanko

BULGARIANS ABROAD

Български English Русский Deutsch Српски Français Ελληνικά Español Shqip Türkçe Română
MOST VIEWED

Festive magic with songs, dances and meetings with Santa Claus- a Christmas town opens in Pleven

The residents of Pleven (Central North Bulgaria) will bid farewell to 2024 with a Christmas Town and meetings with Santa Claus. This year's festive..

published on 11/30/24 8:05 AM

Bulgarian high school students fight disinformation

Modernizing critical thinking skills, fact-checking skills and media literacy are essential for society, especially for young people in Bulgaria - the..

published on 12/1/24 5:05 AM

english@bnr.bg

+359 2 9336 661

Общи условия за използване на сайта | Политика за поверителност | Политика за "бисквитки"