Gov. Matt Bevin presented Carnegie Medal awards to two Kentuckians on Aug. 7, 2017 at a ceremony at the Kentucky State Capitol.
Lori Doppelheuer Kearney of Maysville, Ky., died attempting to save her sons Christopher I. Kearney, Kieran C. Hargis, and Eagan S. Hargis from a fire at their home on Oct. 20, 2015.
Kearney was last seen running through dense smoke up the stairs to the second floor where the boys were sleeping. After the fire was brought under control, Kearney was found on the floor of the younger boys’ bedroom, cradling Kieran, with Eagan and Christopher lying nearby. They had died of smoke inhalation.
Kearney’s daughter, Makayla Kearney, accepted the medal for her mom.
“For those of us who have families, for those of us who have children, our heart breaks for you,” Bevin said. “I’ll tell you what Makayla, you have a special mom.”
Makayla attended the ceremony with her grandmother, Ann Doppelheuer, also Kearney’s mother.
“I know she was great at being a mom,” Makayla said in a video that played during the ceremony.
Louis Daniel Scharold of Alexandria, Ky., saved a truck driver after the truck was struck nearly head-on by a pickup truck traveling in the wrong direction on a highway in April 2016.
Both trucks overturned, and a fuel tank ruptured, leaked fuel and caught fire. Despite intense heat from nearby flames, Scharold reached through the broken-out windshield of the refuse truck, grasped the man by the arm, and led him away from the burning vehicle to safety.
“That is a really powerful story, and it gives me tremendous pleasure to present this to you, Lou,” Bevin said.
“I’m just glad I could be there when I could be there,” Scharold said.
Read more on Lori Doppelheuer Kearney’s act.
Read more on Louis Daniel Scharold act.
Related articles:
- Carnegie Medal for Heroism presentation to Joseph D. Donnell
- Carnegie Medal for Heroism presentation to Robert M. Wilson, Jr. and Andrew Reischl
- Carnegie Medal presentation to Tyler Badet
- Carnegie Medal for Heroism presentation to the family of Anthony Diehl
- Carnegie Medal presentation to Stephen Rhodes
- Carnegie Medal presentation to Mickey Wilson
- Carnegie Medal presentation to Gerold Prather
- Carnegie Medal presentation to Lloyd Muldrow
- Carnegie Medal presentation to Kealii J. Akahane
- Carnegie Medal presentation to Kendall Reyes
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