Harmanjeet Singh Gill is a Brampton truck driver who risked his life to save three people from a burning SUV, and he is one of the 17 civilians being honoured for acts of heroism by the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission.
Gill, 22, and the other recipients of the Carnegie Medal are being given the highest civilian heroism honour in both Canada and the United States.
A statement on the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission website said that the Carnegie Medal is given to those who “enter mortal danger while saving or attempting to save the lives of others.” In addition to the medal, the recipients of the awards will also get a financial grant.
Here is what the commission website had to say about Gill’s act of heroism.
a 20-year-old truck driver from Brampton, Ontario, was driving Aug. 29, 2018, in Brampton when he saw a violent crash in which an SUV struck several vehicles and landed on its driver’s side a few feet from a house. Large flames burned at the vehicle’s rear, and Gill responded to the scene. Gill extended his head and arms through the car’s sunroof and pulled one of the three men inside to safety. Gill returned to the vehicle and dragged a second man to safety. Returning to the car to remove the third man, Gill had difficulty. With the help of a teen who also responded to the scene, Gill broke the sunroof to create a larger opening. They then pulled the third man to safety. The car was shortly engulfed in flames, which spread to another car and impinged on the house.
Carnegie hero fund website
Another Canadian was also honoured: Jonathan Stein-Palmiere, a 20-year-old apprentice carpenter from Calgary, AB.
Learn more about the award and the other recipients here.