BENTONVILLE, Ark. — On August 29, 2022, 11-year-old Alexander "Cade" Law was playing with his brother during a Bentonville rainstorm when Cade was swept into a drain during a flash flood. Cade's brother and mother tried to get him out, and nearby family friend Tawny Hinton jumped in to try to save him, but both Cade and Tawny were later pronounced dead.
In 2024, Tawny Hinton was posthumously awarded the Carnegie Medal for Heroism, an award given to those across North America who have displayed exceptional bravery by risking—and sometimes giving—their lives in an effort to save others.
Cade's mother says on that day he and his identical twin brother were racing paper boats in the water during the rainstorm, unaware of the risks posed by the drain at the end of the field.
When Cade was sucked through the concrete pipe, his twin tried to hold on, but the water was too strong, and Cade was swept further in.
After Cade's brother ran to get help, the boys' mother and Hinton both went to the pond and began wading through the water. Hinton dived into the water in an attempt to find the boy but was eventually swept away herself.
According to the Bentonville Fire Department, officials found both Hinton and Cade before transporting them to a nearby hospital, where they were later pronounced dead.
The Carnegie Hero Fund Commission's mission is to "recognize and support those who perform acts of heroism in civilian life." In pursuit of this goal, the commission awards people who "voluntarily risk death while saving or attempting to save the life of another person."
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