Fernando Espinosa, 17, of El Paso, Texas, is receiving the Boy Scouts’ Honor Medal with Crossed Palms, its highest award for bravery and service. 

Espinosa was walking a teacher to her car earlier this year when another vehicle bore down on them in the crosswalk.  He managed to push the teacher to safety but was struck by the car himself and suffered head and leg injuries; the teacher suffered fractures to her foot. Both are still recovering from the accident.

The Honor Medal is awarded to only three or four Scouts each year; the Crossed Palms are added “for extreme risk to life and personal safety,” according to a Scouting official. Espinosa’s decisive action in the face of danger likely saved the teacher’s life.

Espinosa avoids the accolade of “hero”, saying instead,

“The main thing I want them to know is to always be a gentleman and try to help people …  And to really love what you have at the moment because you never know what is going to happen.”

The whole story appeared in the Houston Chronicle.