Mayor presents hero award to Ms. van der Aar
On Wednesday, November 12, Mayor Arno Scheepers presented Ms. van der Aar with the bronze bearing medal and commendation of the Carnegie Heroes Fund. She received this award for her courageous and decisive action during a serious traffic incident on the A15 near Rozenburg last year.
On Nov. 27, 2024, Ms. van der Aar noticed a passenger car driving slowly and swerving on the highway. To warn the truck traffic and slow down, she started driving in the middle of the road. When the car was catapulted from the left to the right guard rail, she immediately stopped. As a cab driver, she first brought her young passenger safely behind the guardrail. She then made her way to the victim, who was not fully conscious. Thanks to Ms. van der Aar's quick assistance and cooperation with emergency services, Ms. De Ponti was able to be removed from the car and her life was saved. Ms. De Ponti is now doing well.
Ms. van der Aar's actions required great courage and were not without danger. That is why she received this award from the Carnegie Heroes Fund.
On November 21, Ms. van der Aar and the victim will be guests together on the live broadcast of "Tijd voor MAX de Nationale Heldendag," where they will share their story.
About the Carnegie Heroes Fund
The Carnegie Heroes Fund Foundation (founded in 1911) aims to promote heroism. The Carnegie Heroes Fund presents awards to people who have saved, or attempted to save, the life of another at the risk of their own lives. The Carnegie Heroes Fund represents one of the most extraordinary forms of citizenship: saving another's life. The foundation has a long history and is part of a worldwide network of "Carnegie foundations," founded inspired by Scottish-American steel magnate Andrew Carnegie, who in 1904 established a foundation for the relatives of rescue workers in a mining disaster.