For the third time in the two years since he climbed into a burning truck to save its trapped driver, a Lincoln man is set to be honored for his heroism that day.
Joe Cockerill, 41, is one of 16 civiliansÌýfrom across the U.S. and Canada set to receiveÌýa Carnegie Medal this quarter, consideredÌýNorth America’s highest honor for civilian heroism, according to theÌýCarnegie Hero Fund, which released its latest list of recipients Monday.
The Lincoln man had been on his way to work that morning when he noticed a big rig careen onto the westbound shoulder and into a ditch alongÌýU.S. Highway 6 near Waverly, he told The Waverly News last year.
Cockerill and another manÌý— who turned out to beÌýMatt Verkamp, a childhood friend of Cockerill's who happened to witness the same crashÌý— worked to free the unconsciousÌýdriver from the flaming truck.Ìý
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Moments after Cockerill freed the man's leg and he and Verkamp pulled him away from the cab, the first of the rig's tires exploded. Flames would soon rise as high as 20 feet.
Five months later, Cockerill and Verkamp received the Citizen Certificate of Merit from the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office in February 2022 and received the Waverly Heroes Award from Mayor Bill Gerdes in front of the Waverly City Council later that month,ÌýThe Waverly News reported.
“But we didn’t do it for any awards,†Cockerill told the paper then. “If roles were reversed, I’d hope people would stop and do the same thing for me."
Cockerill will receive a financial grant along with hisÌýCarnegie Medal, which is given throughout the U.S. and Canada to those who "enter extreme danger while saving or attempting to save the lives of others," according to the organization's Hero Fund.
The medal has been awarded to 10,371 individuals since the inception of the Pittsburgh-based Fund in 1904.
Matt Verkamp (left) and Joe Cockerill received the Waverly Heroes Award in February 2022 for saving a man from a burning truck on the morning of Sept. 23, 2021. Cockerill is one of 16 recipients this quarter of the Carnegie Medal, given throughout the U.S. and Canada to those who enter extreme danger while saving or attempting to save the lives of others.Ìý