The "truly heroic" rescuer who found 25-year-old Molly Burton injured and bleeding last September off Comox Road after she was hit by a car is being honoured on a national scale.
Brody Fullerton was on his boat across the water near the Courtenay Airpark when he heard Burton's screams for help about four hours after being struck. Thinking someone might be lost, he took out his flashlight and examined the brush.
Fullerton searched the bushes for Burton's voice, and found her about 45 minutes later.
"He kept her hope up; within minutes of her becoming conscious (in hospital) she was talking about how incredible he was," explained Burton's mother, Leslie Wells in September.
Since then, Wells said she has been in contact with Ron Kirstein, B.C. & Yukon Territories representative for the Royal Canadian Humane Association Bravery Awards, which recognizes Canadians for their acts of bravery.
"(Ron) contacted me and said he was following Molly's stories since she was in hospital in Victoria. He asked if Brody should be nominated; it's quite a prestigious award," she noted.
The awards specially honour life-saving acts of bravery across Canada, and were established in the country in 1894, explained Rudy Berghuys, national president of the RCHA.
"(Brody) had the presence of mind in coming to her aid. He did a wonderful job with great action," he said.
Although Fullerton will be recognized with an honorary certificate, Berghuys noted the RCHA reserves its medal awards — gold, silver and bronze — for those who risk their own life to save someone else.
"We're recognizing Brody to highlight his good citizenship, and a job well done."
Kirstein added he hopes the award acknowledges Fullerton's presence of mind at the time of the accident.
"We thought that was a pretty courageous thing to do," he said.
Burton remains in her wheelchair and has weeks of bone grafting and surgeries ahead.
The teen driver involved in the incident, who cannot be named, entered a guilty plea in February, and will return to court April 10.
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