In 2019, two Triad men — strangers traveling separately on Highway 52 in Winston-Salem — left their cars and ran to the scene of a horrible accident. Working together, welder Robert Lawson and registered emergency room nurse Jeffrey Johnson pulled Susan Leonard to safety from her vehicle as it was engulfed in flames. Last week, both men were notified that they will receive the Carnegie Medal — the highest honor for civilian heroism in the U.S. and Canada. Johnson spoke with WFDD's David Ford.
Interview Highlights
On what happened that day:
There was a small sedan engulfed in flames. And I had the radio on, just listening to some music, and I could actually hear a woman screaming, ‘Somebody, please help me,' through — I mean our windows were up, it was hot outside and I had the A/C on — and I'm watching this. And I immediately told my kids to turn their heads. I said, ‘Turn your head, turn your head.' And of course, kids being inquisitive and they're like, ‘Why? Why?' ‘Just turn your head.' And it was before I could even really formulate what I'm going to do, I'm already pulling off to the side. I just had to get off the highway and it was just pure action — sounds dramatic, but it was just — suddenly it was like extremely focused. The next thing I know, I'm jumping the cement median there and running towards the wreck. And it's, it's tragic, but you would be surprised about the number of people that were still — I mean, I had people, probably five cars — they were just sitting in their cars watching this poor lady being burnt alive. And my memory of that day and just this eerie silence where you heard her screaming, you heard the sound of metal warping things, starting to pop and explode inside the car, but there was just a dead silence beside that.
On receiving the Carnegie Medal:
I use the word humbled a lot. And even if you read the list of just this past quarter's, people who won the award, I mean, not only are they risking limb, some of these people, they died trying to protect their fellow man and woman. And I remember listening to these stories and I'm like ‘There's no way I'm receiving this award.' And then I get the call from the representative. And he wanted to talk to me. And I was like, ‘OK, he's going to say, ‘Congratulations on being nominated. But, you know, it went to somebody else.' Because I think since its inception in 1904, there's been little over ten thousand people that have received this. Ten thousand people in a little over a hundred years. So, to be included in this list of people, I'm in awe. I'm in complete awe of, you read some of these stories like the person who charged a live shooter with two plastic crates. It was an active shooter situation. They unfortunately succumbed to their wounds. But to be side by side with them? I can argue that all day, you know. But I'm humbled. And, I mean, words don't describe the honor of being awarded this.
On the COVID-19 pandemic:
You know, I'm a nurse and I guess I can throw this two cents out there, working in health care and, you know, we're not out of the woods yet. Wear masks, social distance, try to enjoy the holiday. This is a very unique time in world history, but I can kind of circle it back around a bit. We're here for a short period of time. You got to do good things. And we've got to take care of each other. You know, I think that the pandemic has really shown not only what we need — what we really need, love and understanding — but what we don't need. There's a lot of people struggling. There's a lot of people hurt out there. But, you know, take care of one another.
EDITOR'S NOTE: This transcript was edited lightly for clarity.