Father-Son Rescuer Larry Pickett Sr. Receives Carnegie Medal For Heroic Rescue
Study for the Funeral of Pallas — Antoine Coypel, ca. 1716–17
What Happened
Larry Pickett Sr. and his son pulled a driver from a burning SUV pinned under a live 12,000-volt power line in Fort Montgomery, New York, in August 2025. Both walked away unhurt. On Tuesday, the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission awarded Pickett Sr. its medal, the highest civilian honor for heroism in the U.S. and Canada.
Why It Matters
Fire officials couldn't explain how the Picketts avoided electrocution — they just know standard training would have said don't. That gap is what pushed Pickett Sr. to start a foundation for rural volunteer departments, the kind running on bake sales and 15-year-old cold water suits. The viral rescue lasted seconds. The funding gap it exposed didn't.
What's Next
The foundation is raising $17,700 for Fort Montgomery's fire department and $30,000 for a Michigan volunteer department.