Four men were honored with the Washington State Patrol‘s Life-Saving Award Wednesday, May 28, 2014 at the WSP’s headquarters in Clark County. The men were applauded for exceptional bravery to save the lives of others during what could have been two deadly collisions in Lewis County. The honors came during the WSP’s annual regional awards event.

On the evening of December 20, 2013, Mr. Tanner Pilz was traveling on state Route 6 when he saw a vehicle involved in a collision. The vehicle had left the roadway, rolled, and struck a tree and telephone pole.  The driver of the vehicle had been partially ejected and was submerged under water after the vehicle came to rest on its top in a creek.

Putting himself at risk, Mr. Pilz rushed to the vehicle to render aid to the driver. Mr. Pilz was able to hold the driver’s head above water, while maintaining an airway until first responders arrived on scene. The driver was freed from the vehicle and airlifted to Harborview Medical Center with serious injuries.

In the early morning hours of December 22, 2013, Christopher, Stephen and Nicholas Anderson were traveling on State Route 506 near Vader when they came upon a vehicle off the roadway. The vehicle had collided with a tree, leaving the driver unconscious. The vehicle became engulfed in flames while the three brothers tried to free the unconscious driver. The brothers were able to pull the driver from the vehicle as flames intensified. The driver was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center with serious injuries.

During the ceremony, three of the four men were presented with plaques from Chief John Batiste. Mr. Nicholas Anderson was unavailable to attend the event.