Star of Courage
Awarded on: 1974-12-13
Invested on: 1975-02-14
Marcel Belisle, S.C., Laval des Rapides, Que.
Star of Courage
On February 21, 1973, when a huge transport truck which had been left parked on a steep grade in a Montreal street began rolling downhill, Marcel Belisle, a taxi driver, completely disregarding his own safety, pursued the vehicle on foot and succeeded in climbing into the driver's seat. Discovering that the brakes were defective, he could do no more than steer the massive vehicle and sound the horn constantly to alert people to the danger. In an attempt to slow the vehicle down, he manoeuvred it between the wall of a building and a line of parked cars some of which were inevitably damaged. Mr. Belisle was able, finally, to turn the transport truck into a parking area where it at last came to a halt. He was trapped between the steering wheel and the driver's seat and sustained injuries in the process. Had it not been for Mr. Belisle's intervention, others might have been seriously injured and greater damage done.