Medal of Bravery

• Awarded on: December 1, 1975
• Invested on: February 16, 1976

On May 31, 1974 when two half-ton trucks had collided head-on near Houston, British Columbia, Larry Schlegel removed two occupants moments before the vehicles were enveloped in flames. A woman and her two daughters were the only survivors out of a group of seven people who were involved in the accident. When Mr. Schlegel came on the scene, one girl had managed to escape but the other was still trapped at the rear of the truck and their mother was hanging half-out of the cab. The rescuer braved the intense heat and smoke to pull the woman through a side window and then proceeded around the vehicle to assist the other girl. The second victim was entangled under a canopy which had started to burn and it was only by holding the material up at the risk of suffering burns, that Mr. Schlegel managed to free the girl. By then, the fire was raging out of control inside both cabs and, sadly, none of the other victims could be saved.