Carnegie Hero Dennis J. Myers, 71, died Tuesday, May 16, 2023, in Leipsic, Ohio, surrounded by his family.
Myers was born to Norman and Helen Myers on Dec. 20, 1951, in Lima, Ohio. In 1974, he married Joyce Gebhardt.
Myers received the Carnegie Medal for saving a man from a burning vehicle after a highway accident in Benton, Illinois, on Jan. 13, 1984. Myers, a truck driver, saw the accident and ran to the wreckage, where the man in the overturned tractor-trailer hung upside down and was unconscious. Having kicked the windshield in, Myers completely entered and untangled the driver despite heavy smoke that permeated from the inside of the vehicle. After he pulled the driver through the windshield and carried him to safety with the help of two other men, flames began to break out and explosively spread throughout the cab of the tractor-trailer.
Myers was a lifelong truck driver. He enjoyed fishing, camping, and was an avid Harley Davidson rider. In 1984, along with the Carnegie Hero Award, he received the Goodyear Highway Hero Award. He married Dawn Badertscher in 2001.
He is survived by his wife of 19 years; two daughters, April and Lindsay; stepdaughter, Crystal; stepsons, Toney and Tobey; seven grandchildren; six step-grandchildren; and two brothers, Gary and Joe. He was preceded in death by his brother, Norman Myers, Jr.