Bravery award given posthumously to Nova Scotian who pulled 3 from sunken vehicle

A man who died trying to save three people trapped by floodwaters was among eight Nova Scotians awarded the province's Medal of Bravery on Tuesday.

On July 22, 2023, Nicholas Holland, 52, and three others were driving through heavy rainfall near Brooklyn, N.S., when the taxi they were in was swept off Highway 14 into a flooded field.

Relatives say that as the car filled with water, Holland managed to smash the windows, allowing the four inside to escape the sinking vehicle.

However, the musician from Ellershouse, N.S., and 14-year-old Terri-Lynn Keddy were carried away by the current and did not survive the ordeal. The pair were among four people who died in historic, inland flooding that resulted from torrential downpours that exceeded 250 millimetres that day.

"He gave everyone a chance to survive," Holland's son, Robie, said in an interview last year with The Canadian Press.

The bravery award for Holland was presented posthumously by Premier Tim Houston during a ceremony in Halifax.

The medal is awarded to Nova Scotians who have risked their lives protecting the lives or property of others, beyond what is expected in the line of duty. Since 2008, 55 Nova Scotians have received the award.

Teen, first responders also honoured

Halifax firefighters Kevin Corkum and Conor Scott were also recipients on Tuesday for their rescue of a man from his home on May 28, 2023, as an intense wildfire raced across Hammonds Plains and Upper Tantallon, northwest of Halifax. As residents fled the burning area, Corkum and Scott drove into the evacuated area to find anyone left behind.

Driven by strong winds and fuelled by tinder-dry forests, the fast-moving fire destroyed 151 homes and dozens of other structures. In all, more than 16,000 people were forced from their homes.

Another bravery award was handed to 14-year-old Alexander Munroe of Windsor Junction, N.S., who defended his mother and two younger brothers from a dog that attacked them on March 6, 2023.

Alex, who was 13 at the time, "fearlessly fended off the dog, helped his family get to safety and called 911," the provincial government said in a statement.

Awards were also presented to three paramedics from southwestern Nova Scotia, who on June 14, 2023, entered a burning home in St. Bernard. Carl Comeau, Carl Deveau and Terrence Leblanc risked their lives trying to save the woman inside, but she did not survive.

A bravery award was also handed to Truro police officer Bruce Lake, who was off duty on Aug. 19, 2023, when he jumped into a river in New Brunswick's Fundy National Park to save a young woman struggling against the strong current.

"These recipients embody the spirit of what it means to be part of a community," Houston said in a statement. "On behalf of all Nova Scotians, I want to recognize and thank them for acting selflessly and going above and beyond."