Medal of Bravery
Awarded on: 2006-09-07
Invested on: 2007-06-15
Éric Girard, M.B.
Medal of Bravery
On August 7, 2005, Éric Girard saved his fiancée from drowning in Lac Saint-Jean, Quebec, after the couple's personal watercraft experienced mechanical difficulty. As night fell and they were too far from shore to be heard or seen, the couple found themselves in the water when waves over a metre high capsized their watercraft. After trying for several hours, in vain, to tow the watercraft, Mr. Girard began swimming to shore while pulling his fiancée, who was barely conscious and suffering from hypothermia. It was not until dawn, after courageously battling the powerful waves for more than four hours, that Mr. Girard finally managed to reach the shore at Vauvert, some 36 kilometres from the couple's starting point, where they received help.