Kingsley Cheung, M.B.
Justin Kenneth Darwin Ilnicki, M.B.
Kevin Joseph Leski, M.B.
Medal of Bravery
On October 13, 2007, Kingsley Cheung, Justin Ilnicki and Kevin Leski rescued two people who were trapped inside a burning vehicle, near Raven Lake, British Columbia. A head-on collision between two vehicles had killed all five occupants of one car and caused the other, a pickup towing a camper, to roll on its side and catch fire. Driving by the accident scene, Messrs. Cheung, Ilnicki and Leski heard screams from the truck and immediately stopped to help. Both the driver and his wife were injured and unable to get out on their own. After breaking the windshield, the men were able to pull the driver out and bring him a safe distance away. They had more difficulty retrieving the passenger, as she was trapped by her seatbelt and surrounded by the raging fire. Despite the intense heat and the threat of an explosion from the propane tanks in the truck's camper, the rescuers were able to pull the severely injured woman out. While Mr. Cheung went to a nearby ranch to call for an ambulance, Messrs. Ilnicki and Leski took care of the two survivors, shielding them from debris and the heat of the burning vehicles until help arrived nearly 40 minutes later.