Pittsburgh EMS workers honored for trying to save woman who crashed into Monongahela River

More than 30 members of Pittsburgh's Emergency Medical Services bureau were honored Tuesday for their efforts during a rescue on the Monongahela River earlier this year.

Pittsburgh River Rescue crews spent hours diving 20 feet down into the Monongahela River after Jacinta Stevens' car flew off of the Parkway East and into the icy river below in late January.

Crews worked tirelessly to find Stevens, bring her to the surface, perform life-saving measures, and get her to the hospital, where she later died.

Investigators said Stevens was submerged in the water for approximately 40 to 60 minutes.   

"None of you hesitated," Mayor Corey O'Connor said. "You didn't think about it. Because this is the job that you wanted to do."

"Their heroic actions and the collaborative work performed that day deserves for them to be celebrated today," Pittsburgh EMS Chief Amera Gilchrist said.

Pittsburgh River Rescue Crew Chief Gregory Tersine was one of three people to receive the city's Medal of Valor on Tuesday for actions during the response on the river.

Tersine was the first diver into the water that day and detailed the difficult conditions crews faced during their response.

"The water was about 34 degrees, 33 degrees that day, so very, very cold," Tersine said. "It was more the wind chill that was the factor that worked against us that day. A lot of our gear that was wet was starting to freeze. A lot of our dive equipment was freezing."

It's still unknown why Stevens' car went off of the Parkway and the car has yet to be pulled from the river.