Medal of Bravery

• Awarded on: September 2, 1999
• Invested on: June 26, 2000

On September 26, 1997, Winnipeg Police Cst. Mary Clare Sutherland rescued two people from an overturned car in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Arriving at the scene of a single car accident, Cst. Sutherland found the vehicle flipped on its roof with gasoline pouring out of the ruptured tank and smoke and steam escaping from the engine compartment. The driver had been thrown from the vehicle but a man and a woman remained trapped inside. Fearing an explosion and with no access inside the wreck, some 20 bystanders and police officers joined forces and lifted and held the car off the ground while Cst. Sutherland squeezed under it. Through gasoline and debris she was able to reach the man and woman and helped them to safety. Sadly, the driver did not recover.