When a vehicle collision ignited his gas station, Comox Valley resident Junyi Liu rushed outside to rescue the trapped driver on the evening of May 20, 2023.
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In the following months, the 41-year-old man was awarded the Town of Comox91Ƶs Citizen Service Award and the .
Little did he know, Liu91Ƶs local act of heroism would eventually be recognized on the North American stage. On March 25, 2024, the Chinese-born man was awarded the prestigious and a one-time grant of US$5,500.
Junyi, the co-owner of Esso in , responded heroically to a fire, saving a life. Recognized by Town Council, he has now been awarded North America's top civilian honour by Carnegie Hero Fund. Congratulations on this well-deserved recognition, Junyi!
91Ƶ Town of Comox (@TownofComox)
91ƵIt91Ƶs considered the highest honour for civilian heroism in North America,91Ƶ said Jewels Phraner, Carnegie Hero Fund Commission director of communication. 91ƵMore than 10,000 medals have been given out over the course of the commission91Ƶs 120-year history.91Ƶ
The requirements to be a recipient of this award are extremely stringent, explained Phraner.
91ƵA person must voluntarily risk themselves to an extraordinary degree in saving or attempting to save another person,91Ƶ she said.
Following the incident, Liu told Black Press Media that despite the danger and initial fear, his instinct kicked in and the rest is history.
91ƵEverything I did was just automatic, I didn91Ƶt think about anything. It went so fast,91Ƶ Liu said in May 2023. 91ƵI didn91Ƶt think that I did something big. I think anyone else who would have been there would have done the same thing as I did.91Ƶ
According to Phraner, Liu91Ƶs story perfectly fits with the medal91Ƶs ethos.
91ƵThis was an extraordinary act and Junyi kept his wits about him. He risked his life to pull the driver out of this car that was completely covered in flames. I think that that speaks to his character and speaks to him as a person.91Ƶ
Scottish-American philanthropist and industrialist Andrew Carnegie started the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission initiative in 1904 to highlight civilian acts of heroism so they would not go unnoticed.
91ƵAndrew Carnegie91Ƶ knew that he couldn91Ƶt (push) others to act heroically, but he thought that the world would be a better place if we all knew about91Ƶ these heroes,91Ƶ said Phraner.
91ƵWe have found that a lot of our heroes are extremely humble. They think that they did something that anyone would do and they were just in the right place at the right time,91Ƶ Phraner said. 91ƵI think one of the biggest values of becoming a Carnegie hero is that we are an independent organization that can point to people and objectively say 91ƵWhat you did was special and brave.91Ƶ 91Ƶ
Black Press Media reached out to Liu for comments on receiving the award but did not receive a reply by deadline.
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