Medal of Bravery

• Awarded on: December 7, 1993
• Invested on: May 17, 1996

On August 13, 1992, Mr. Karo saved a man whose van had plunged from a ferry ramp at Departure Bay, Nanaimo, British Columbia. Arriving at the scene, Mr. Karo noticed that the man had been thrown from the vehicle and was floating in the backwash as the ferry was pulling away from the dock. He immediately jumped into the churning waters and, with the help of life rings thrown down to him, was able to stabilize the semi-conscious victim until the backwash subsided. Mr. Karo then managed to swim to the loading berth, where others assisted in pulling the man out. Mr. Karo dove back in repeatedly, on one occasion using an air pack, to try to rescue the other passengers who were trapped in the crushed van that lay ten metres below the surface. Tragically, these rescue efforts were in vain.