A Peachtree

City man has been awarded the Carnegie Medal for risking his life to save

three children from a burning car on Interstate 85 in Union City in February.

Kevin Snyder,

an attorney who works in Atlanta, battled dense smoke and heavy flames

to get the children out, struggling to get one of the children who was

restrained in a car seat.

Shortly after

Snyder got the final victim out, the car became engulfed with flames.

Snyder, 33,

was one of 24 individuals chosen to receive the prestigious medal, which

also comes with a grant of $3,500. Since the fund was established by industrialist-philanthropist

Andrew Carnegie, $25.3 million has been given in one-time grants, scholarship

aid, death benefits and continuing assistance.

Recalling the

incident in July for The Citizen, Snyder said he had plenty of help and

he shunned the "hero" label.

"I said,

'God, please help me,'" Snyder said, recalling the difficulty of

getting the baby out of the car. "I couldn't see anymore because

the smoke was so intense."

When he got

home, Snyder realized his nylon socks had melted due to the intense heat.

His knuckles were also skinned up badly.

"It was

divine intervention. It really wasn't me."

Daphne Pouncil,

the mother of the children, contacted The Citizen recently to pass along

her thanks to Snyder for his heroic efforts.

"As of

today all the children are doing fine and again, thank you and Merry Christmas,"

she wrote.