Medal of Bravery

• Awarded on: November 24, 2005
• Invested on: October 21, 2014

Douglas Harry Allen, M.B.
Larry Anderson, M.B.
Timothy Allan Coulas, M.B.
John Brian O'Donnell, M.B.
Michael John O'Farrell, M.B.
Medal of Bravery

On March 31, 2005, these five men rescued two women trapped in their submerged vehicle in the York River in Bancroft, Ontario. After witnessing the victims' SUV plunge down an embankment and slide into the river, the rescuers jumped into the icy water to provide assistance. One man swam alongside the vehicle, pushing it towards the riverbank. The vehicle caught on an unknown structure in the riverbed where it remained precariously perched a few metres away from a dam. In a canoe found on shore, two rescuers made their way to the rapidly sinking vehicle, barely avoiding large ice floes swirling down-stream. Reaching the scene, one man left the craft and joined the rest of the team to help the driver into the canoe. While the woman was taken to shore, the passenger was pulled up onto the roof of the partially submerged vehicle. She was then helped into the canoe and brought to safety. The victims, along with two of the rescuers, were taken to the hospital where they were treated for hypothermia.