Local Men Receive Lifesaving Awards at State Fair

Two Northeast Iowa residents will be honored at the Iowa State Fair today (Aug. 9) at the Governor's Lifesaving Awards ceremony.

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds will be honoring seven people who offered their services to save the life of another.

Clayton County resident Jeffrey Friedlein will receive the Lifesaving with Valor Award. On June 12th of 2017, Friedlein overhead a fire page, spotted black smoke in the air, and grabbed two large-capacity fire extinguishers from his dump truck. He responded to the scene of an accident on Garber Road, in which a car went off the road and into a ditch, rolling onto it's top. A passenger, Lillian Horstman, was trapped inside the burning vehicle. Friedlein and a deputy were able to knock down the blaze before firefighters arrived. Horstman and another passenger, were airlifted to University Hospitals, where she was treated and underwent weeks of rehabilitation; the other passenger died from the injuries. Friedlein is credited with risking his own life to save another.

A Lifesaving Award will also be presented to Cedar Falls resident, Cory Johnson. Johnson ran over to assist at an accident in which 3 year old Tate Manahl was run over by a lawn mower, driven by his father in Cedar Falls. Johnson used his belt as a tourniquet to stop the bleeding of the young boy's very serious injuries to his leg. The young boy is still recovering from his injuries, and Johnson is credited with saving Tate's life.

Today's award ceremony will be held at 10:30am in the Susan Knapp Amphitheater of the Iowa State Fair.