KAMAS, Utah — A Utah man is now a Carnegie Medal Award recipient, an award given to individuals who risk themselves to an extraordinary degree saving or attempting to save the lives of others.
Joseph Donnell of Kamas received the award for saving a 9-year-old boy from drowning on August 22, 2022, after the truck the boy was in rolled into the water at Smith and Morehouse Reservoir. Donnell is a retired park ranger, an outdoorsman, and now a Carnegie Medal Award hero.
"Our friend Stephen Louise Brown nominated him for the Carnegie award," said Joe's wife, Cathy. "Just the thought of the magnitude of somebody actually saving somebody and being recognized for it."
Joe still remembers the details of the event vividly.
"There was 3 kids in the truck; they were able to get two of them out before it sank," Joe recalled. "Once I discovered there was a third person in the truck and the rear passenger door was open and that's where he would be, I jumped out of my kayak, my inflatable jacket blew up and I just started diving."
It was nerve-wracking for Joe's family to watch him go underwater, but they encouraged him to do everything he could to save the 9-year-old boy, Paxton. After multiple dive attempts, the former ice water rescue specialist finally found Paxton.
"[Joe] definitely deserves every award he can get for going down as many times as he did to save Paxton, was more than anybody could've asked in that water, the temperature," said Paxton's aunt, Kelley Carpenter.
The now 10-year-old spent 10 days in the hospital.
"For several days, I didn't know what the outcome was going to be and I was really concerned that he wouldn't survive because in my career I had a lot of people that didn't survive," Joe said.
WATCH: 9-year-old who nearly drowned at Utah reservoir meets man who saved him
Over a year later, Paxton is himself again.
"Paxton's been doing really well. He loves to play football and hang out with all his brothers and cousins, and be a normal boy. He's got a little bit of nerve issues with his feet, but other than that, he's great," Carpenter said. "He loves being outdoors, camping, he still likes to swim, huh, bud?"
The Carnegie Medal is a prestigious recognition, but for Joe and his family, nothing beats seeing Paxton and his family together and making new memories.
"We've had Thanksgiving together, we've done Christmas presents," Joe said.
Paxton does have some memories of that August day, but right now all he's thinking about is his football game this weekend.
Joe says he thanks God everything lined up the way it did and believes everything that happened that day was meant to be so he could be in the right place at the right time to save Paxton.
"Joe's our hero. He saved Paxton and kept our family whole," Carpenter said.
