U.S. Rep. Jeff Hurd of Colorado presented the Carnegie Medal to Alec Christian Larson at his office in Glenwood Springs, Colorado, on Friday, September 5.
Larson was honored with the medal in March 2025 after he saved a mother and her infant son from a burning vehicle following a head-on crash on April 11, 2024.
The accident occurred in Glenwood Springs where 30-year-old Jessica Tucker and her infant son remained inside the vehicle as flames ignited under the engine compartment from gas spilled on the roadway. Tucker had been badly injured with several broken bones while her son was strapped in his car seat. Larson, 27, from Rifle, Colorado, was in his work van with a co-worker when he saw the aftermath of the accident and responded, bringing a pair of scissors with him. He opened the driver’s door and helped Tucker out of the vehicle, who called out that her baby was still inside, as bystanders moved her away to safety. The flames on the roadway intensified and the vehicle caught fire. Larson attempted to open the rear, driver’s-side door but was unable to do so. He ran to the back of the vehicle to open its hatch and saw the infant in a rear-facing child seat on the driver’s side. Larson climbed into the trunk area as the flames intensified. He fumbled to unbuckle the car seat before he cut the straps with scissors. Larson grabbed the infant and pulled him outside to safety. He handed the infant to bystanders, who carried him away from the burning wreck. About 10 seconds later, the vehicle was engulfed in flames. Tucker was hospitalized but not burned. The infant and Larson both avoided injuries.
Larson described the moments when he decided to act.
“It was all kind of a blur, you know?” Larson said. “It wasn’t until after the fact that I was able to soak it in and realize what had happened. I still drive by the site every day, so having that reminder helps me remember what happened, but during the moment I just knew I had to jump out and run over there.”
Representative Hurd praised Larson for his willingness to act and the selflessness he displayed on that day.
“Only a few thousand people in the history of our nation have received this recognition,” Hurd said. “Each one represents the very best of us — people who act not out of obligation, but out of love and instinct to protect others. Each of us will face moments of crisis or indecision, and we all hope that when the moment comes we will make the right choice. Alec had that moment, and when it came, he responded with courage, with clarity, and with selflessness.”
Hurd continued with the meaning of being a hero and the significance of what it means to honor one.
“The word, ‘hero,’ is thrown around a lot in our culture today, but Alec is truly a hero. Being able to honor him for such a selfless act of bravery and to see him and his family and the lives he saved is an extraordinary moment that I’m just honored to be a part of it,” he said.
Larson was joined by Tucker, third adult from right, and her infant son at the presentation along with her husband.
Hurd represents Colorado’s third district.
