Harford County couple gets Carnegie Medal for heroic flood rescue

BALTIMORE (WBFF) - A Harford County man and his girlfriend will receive the nation's highest honor for civilian heroism, after they struggled to save a stranded driver in floodwaters last year.

Kyle Bowman of Aberdeen and Melissa Ann Lehew of Darlington are among 18 people to receive the Carnegie Medal this year.

Melissa Lehew is getting the award posthumously; she died after being swept away during the terrifying flood in Broad Run, just outside of Bel Air last year.

According to the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission: "During heavy rain, motorist Daniel E. Samis, 67, was stranded in his car on a flooded section of road Aug. 31, 2018, in Bel Air, Md. Driving nearby, 31-year-old Kyle Bowman, a tree trimmer from Aberdeen, Md., and his partner, Melissa Anne Lehew, 34, of Darlington, Md., saw Samis’s car and stopped at the scene. Bowman backed his pickup truck to the water’s edge about 100 feet away and, after tying a rope to his truck’s rear, waded toward Samis’s car holding the other end of the rope. Lehew, also holding to the rope, followed. Shortly, Lehew lost her footing and fell into the water. Bowman went to her and helped her to her feet, but they became separated. Lehew was carried downstream by the current and away from the scene, drowning. Samis’s car, with him inside, was also washed away and his body was later recovered from his car. Bowman exited the water safely."