Medal of Bravery

• Awarded on: May 2, 1977
• Invested on: June 17, 1977

Brian Robert Leslie, M.B.
Jari Seppo Vainionpaa, M.B.
Medal of Bravery

Jari Vainionpaa and Brian Leslie saved the life of a man who was trapped in the burning wreckage of his car following a highway accident in Burnaby on 13 January 1976. The accident had occurred when the cars of Vainionpaa, Leslie and the other man's collided. The latter's exploded and burst into flames. Without a moment's hesitation Mr. Vainionpaa raced to the wreckage and had begun pulling the victim out by the legs when a second explosion took place. The rescuer suffered burns to his face and fell back. At that point Mr. Leslie attended to the the victim who was now half-out of the wreckage, and pulled him out of the flames. But for the persistence of Jari Vainionpaa and Brian Leslie the victim would almost certainly have perished.