The Madison County Board of Supervisors and Chairman John Becker, standing, look on as Andrew Parent, left photo, receives the Carnegie Medal from his granddaughter, Emma Holt, and Roger Combs, right photo, receives the Carnegie Medal from his wife, Christine Combs, at a Nov. 10, 2022, presentation at the County Office Building in Wampsville, New York.
In June 2021, Andrew Parent and Roger Combs saved a man trapped inside an overturned truck after it collided with a utility pole and caught fire outside Westmoreland, New York. Downed electrical wires sparked and smoldered as Parent found the man, whose upper body was severely burned, screaming for help inside the vehicle. Parent stepped over the wires but, despite his best effort, was unable to remove the man or put out the fire with an extinguisher. Hearing calls for help, Combs approached the truck and cautiously stepped over the wires lying across the median and highway before assisting Parent. The duo pulled the man from the burning vehicle and dragged him 15 feet to safety.
“The bravery and courage of Andrew Parent and Roger Combs cannot be overlooked, they are true heroes and very deserving of this honor,” said Madison County Board Chairman John M. Becker, according to a Nov. 11, 2022, article by the Daily Sentinel. “They risked their own safety and lives to give another person a chance to survive. I am honored that we were able to present their medals to them today.”