Trooper to receive awards for heroic action

Fayetteville, N.C. — A state trooper who saved a woman from a submerged vehicle was scheduled to get awards Thursday from the Highway Patrol and its parent agency.

On Oct. 14, 2008, two citizens stopped Trooper R. E. Cannaday and told him that a vehicle was overturned in a creek off Titan Roberts Road in Lillington and a woman was submerged under water.

Cannaday went into the creek, opened the vehicle’s back door and lifted the woman’s head out of the water. He continued to render aid until EMS arrived, according to the Highway Patrol.

“Trooper Cannaday demonstrated good judgment by helping a lady trapped in a vehicle underwater. This level of service exemplifies what it means to be a state trooper – to serve others,” Highway Patrol Commander. Col. Walter Wilson Jr. said in a news release.

Wilson will present Cannaday with the patrol’s Samaritan Award.

Reuben Young, secretary of the N.C. Department of Crime Control & Public Safety, will present Cannaday with a Commendation Award. It is the department’s second-highest award for heroism and is presented to employees whose actions prevent injury or death.

The award ceremony will be held at 1:15 p.m. at Troop B Headquarters, 2435 Gillespie St., Fayetteville.