Governor General Julie Payette presented Crawford Bay resident Carol VanRuymbeke with the Medal of Bravery in a ceremony on April 25 in Victoria, BC.
On August 20, 2014, Juergen Baetzel, Paul Hindson, Tobias MacDonald, Carol VanRuymbeke and firefighter Brant Hannah pulled two individuals from a burning plane that had crashed in Crawford Bay, British Columbia. The small aircraft burst into flames on impact. Despite the rapidly escalating fire, the rescuers worked together to successfully free the victims from the wreckage, minutes before an explosion occurred. Sadly, one of the victims did not survive.
READ MORE: Crawford Bay plane crash claims one life
Created in 1972, Decorations for Bravery recognize people who risk their lives and choose to defy their own instinct of survival to try to save a loved one or a perfect stranger whose life is in immediate danger. The three levels of the Decorations for Bravery reflect the degree to which the recipients put themselves at risk: the Cross of Valour recognizes acts of the most conspicuous courage in circumstances of extreme peril; the Star of Courage recognizes acts of conspicuous courage in circumstances of great peril, and the Medal of Bravery recognizes acts of bravery in hazardous circumstances.
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