PITTSBURGH, PA-- A Rhinelander man who died trying to save two women at Little Presque Isle last year has been posthumously awarded the Carnegie Medal for outstanding bravery.
In June of 2016, Justin Schroepfer, 24, dove into 50-degree water to save Abigail Sprinkle and Kaylilyn Tansey from strong currents when they attempted to reach rocks off the shore.
Schroepfer and Tansey drowned. Sprinkle survived.
The Carnegie Medal is given throughout the U.S. and Canada to those who risk their lives to an extraordinary degree while saving or trying to save the lives of others. Schroepfer is one of 20 people recently awarded the medal for outstanding civilian heroism.
His family will receive a financial grant.