ANNUAL BRAVERY AWARDS PRESENTATION

The award, the Bronze Medal will be presented by His Excellency The Honourable Mr Peter Underwood, AO Governor of Tasmania at the investiture of awards within the Order of Australia and the Society.

The award recognizes

• The rescue of a woman from a crashed and burning car at Karoola on 12 August 2006

Contact: Colin Bannister (Secretary) (03) 9650 3233

Note: The Royal Humane Society of Australasia, formed in 1874, is concerned with giving public recognition to acts of bravery by making awards to those who risk their own lives to save the lives of others.

Over 7,680 awards have been made in the Society’s 133 years’ history.

THE ROYAL HUMANE SOCIETY OF AUSTRALASIA CITATIONS

BRONZE MEDAL

DANIEL KOTYNIA, of Karoola, Tas, in going to the rescue of a woman from a crashed and burning car at Karoola, on 12 August 2006.

At 9.00am a car slipped on black ice, hit a bank, slide 30m down a hill and came to rest with the driver’s door colliding with a tree.  The impact caused a fire to start in the engine compartment which quickly spread to the cabin.  The driver was unable to drag herself over the console in order to get out via the front passenger’s door due to a broken pelvis and broken ribs.

Mr Kotynia had been following this vehicle and witnessed the accident.  He opened the front passenger’s door, climbed over the console, grabbed the injured driver under the arms and dragged her out of the car through the front passenger door.

Mr Kotynia then pulled the driver up the frosty slippery embankment, placed her in the back of his utility, covered her in blankets and called for emergency help.

Shortly after removing the driver, the car became totally engulfed in flames.