West Virginia Senator Shelley Moore Capito, center, presented a posthumously awarded Carnegie Medal to the fiancée and child of John Dean Forbush at a private presentation held March 20. Senator Capito is with Forbush’s daughter, Krisslynn, who is holding her father’s medal, and his fiancée Amber Frame.
Forbush died at 24 years old on May 1, 2022, after he attempted to save a mother and her 8-year-old daughter from drowning after their car entered the Elk River near Sutton, West Virginia.
A witness to the accident called 911 as the vehicle drove into the frigid, fast-moving water that was 10 feet deep. A volunteer firefighter for a neighboring fire station, John Dean Forbush, from Gassaway, West Virginia, learned about the incident while off-duty at his place of business and drove to the nearby scene. Forbush reported to the county’s dispatch center when he arrived that the vehicle was completely submerged and that he could hear occupants banging on the vehicle’s glass. Forbush entered the water without rescue gear from one bank while another man entered from its opposite end. Responding first-responders tried to arrange for a rescue boat as Forbush struggled in the water and called for help. He submerged and did not resurface.
After the girl exited the vehicle, the other man was closer and attempted to tow her to safety. She struggled with him and they separated, where she ultimately submerged. The man went downstream but a deputy pulled him to safety. Other first-responders swam to the vehicle and removed the unresponsive mother from the vehicle. They moved her to the river bank, where she was pronounced dead from drowning. Authorities stated that the river moved swiftly due to water released from a dam. Once water levels were reduced by the dam crews, rescuers recovered the girl and Forbush hours later. They had both drowned.
Senator Capito took to Facebook to honor Forbush for his bravery and to share the presentation of the medal to Frame and her daughter.
“Last week, I was honored to present the Carnegie Hero Medal to Amber Frame in recognition of her late fiancé John Dean Forbush, a firefighter and first responder, who died tragically after diving into the Elk River to save the lives of two people whose car drove into the water,” Capito said.
“John’s heroism will never be forgotten.”