Oregon teen who died trying to save brother is among 18 to win Carnegie Medal for heroism

A 16-year-old Oregon boy who drowned while trying unsuccessfully to save his younger brother's life is one of 18 people to be honored with a Carnegie Medal for heroism.

S. Alexander Smith, of Aloha, jumped into the Row River upstream from a 15-foot waterfall to try to save his 13-year-old brother, Christian, on July 1, 2014. Both boys were carried over the falls and drowned.

The Carnegie Medals are named for Pittsburgh steel magnate and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. He was inspired to endow an award in his name by stories of heroism during a coal mine disaster in 1904 that killed 181 people, including a miner and an engineer who died trying to rescue others.

The Carnegie Hero Fund Commission awards medals and cash several times a year.