(MARQUETTE, MI. )–Officials have issued an award in a Marquette County incident which claimed the life of the person who trying to save the drowning victim. Justin Schroepfer died last summer while attempting to rescue two women struggling in Lake Superior near Little Presque Isle. He was posthumously honored recently with the Carnegie Medal for outstanding civilian heroism. Schroepfer, died in June 2016 while attempting to rescue two women from drowning in Lake Superior, was recently awarded the Carnegie Medal for outstanding civilian heroism. The 24-year-old Rhinelander, Wis., native was among 20 men and women who received the award, according to a press release from the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission. Schroepfer and six other individuals were honored posthumously in this class of Carnegie Heroes, including three who were attempting to rescue children. While on shore with friends the afternoon of June 11, 2016, Schroepfer witnessed two then 22-year-old women, Abigail Sprinkle and Kaylilyn Tansey, struggling with strong currents and large waves in Lake Superior near Little Presque Isle. In an attempt to rescue the two women he never met, Schroepfer waded into the lake, but all three were swept into deeper water While Sprinkle later floated into calmer water and back toward shore, where she was rescued by bystanders, Tansey and Schroepfer drowned in the lake. Their deaths caused a wave of support from community members for the construction and installation of lifesaving stations outfitted with life jackets and other equipment at Little Presque Isle, including a 4-foot-long remote controlled buoy called EMILY, an Emergency Integrated Lifesaving Lanyard, which can cruise through rip currents and heavy waves at speeds of up to 22 mph to reach distressed swimmers. Schroepfer’s family held a special dedication near the site of the drowning on May 21 to thank those involved in recovering the bodies and rescuing Sprinkle. The Carnegie Hero Fund Commission announced the award winners. It was founded and endowed by the late steel magnate and philanthropist, Andrew Carnegie. The heroes announced, brings the total number of awards made in 2017 to 77. Each of the awardees or their survivors will also receive a financial grant. The commission has awarded roughly $39 million to about 10,000 heroes or their families since 1904.
(Aaron Harper,WJNR,WOBE,WHTO)
aaronharper22@gmail.com