Man saved by woman he helped on highway, A longtime friend of a man from Milwaukee who died in the Arizona sweat lodge incident, along with an attorney representing a woman hurt there, both say that he saved her life before he passed away.

James Shore, who was from Bay View, was one of three people who died in the sweat lodge.

Tuscon-based attorney Ted Schmidt told 620WTMJ's "Wisconsin's Morning News" that Shore saved his client's life in the sweat lodge before his death.

"She was sitting right next to him, and my client passed out," said Schmidt. "He recognized this and drug her to the door out of that sweat lodge. If he hadn't done that, she would have more than likely died as well. Mr. Shore died on one side of her, and Kirby Brown died, who was sitting on the other side of her."


It's absolutely not a surprise," said Matt Collins, a friend of Shore's for 28 years and a business partner.

"The people in that sweat lodge could be profiled as followers, and that was absolutely not what James Shore was about. He had absolutely no problems speaking his mind, no problems going against the grain at all. It does not surprise me in the least that he would go out this way."

Collins, who is also from Milwaukee, told us more of the stories he had heard involving Shore's attempts to help those suffering in the incident.

"At one point, another woman had succumbed inside the sweat lodge," explained Collins. "He is reported to have lifted up the back of the tent to get some air and was reported to have been saying, really loud, 'We need some help here. People are in trouble.'

"At that point, it's my understanding that James Arthur Ray said that opening up the back of the tent was sacrilegious. This person who was passed out, Kirby Brown, would be dealt with in the next round."

Collins said that Shore had turned her onto her stomach, so she wouldn't suffocate on her vomit.

"This was the point at which Kirby Brown was reported to have been foaming at the mouth and was unresponsive."

Collins believes that Shore was the type of guy to be willing to give the ultimate price to help someone.

"It totally doesn't surprise me in the least. If he had an opportunity to save someone's life and someone was in danger, he would do anything to save them, even give his life."

Schmidt says the women's condition has improved the incident.

"She's better," said Schmidt.

"She has permanent lung damage. She has permanent vision problems, memory problems. She's not sleeping well, and she's very traumatized by this whole thing, but she's also very relieved and gratified that they have in fact charged him and arrested him."

Source:620