A volunteer firefighter who died attempting to rescue a woman and her daughter after their vehicle went into the Elk River has been posthumously awarded the highest civilian honor for heroism in North America. A Carnegie Medal for Heroism has been awarded to 24-year old John Dean Forbush of Gassaway. He was a four-year veteran of the Gassaway Volunteer Fire Department who died while attempting to rescue 42-year old Latonya Bell and her 8-year old daughter, Havana Pipkins, both from Cleveland, Ohio, in May 2022.
Forbush, who was off duty at the time, responded to the Elk River near Sutton, on May 1, 2022, after Bell’s vehicle submerged. Officials said Forbush reported hearing the occupants beating on the vehicle’s glass and dove into the river without rescue gear to try to help. During the attempted rescue, Forbush submerged and never resurfaced. All three died. It was later determined that Bell drove into the river as a murder-suicide, according to Eyewitness News. Forbush is one of 18 who were honored with the award. He was also honored by the West Virginia First Responder Honor Board with a Medal of Valor in July 2022.