Medal of Honor Recipient Kyle Carpenter Arrested for Hit-and-Run Accident

Kyle Carpenter, who was awarded the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest military honor, in 2014, was charged and arrested Thursday for a hit-and-run accident in South Carolina.

Carpenter struck a pedestrian who was crossing the street on the night of Dec. 8. The police report says Carpenter made an improper turn by turning into the outside lane rather than the inside line, WIS-TV reports.

The Columbia Police Department said that Carpenter initially pulled over and turned on his hazard lights, but when victim Michael Haddad stood up and walked into the University of South Carolina's fitness center, the Medal of Honor recipient left the scene.

Haddad sustained abrasions and a leg injury from the accident, police said. He is expected to make a full recovery.

To date, police told WIS-TV that both Carpenter and Haddad have fully cooperated with the investigation and neither were under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the incident.

Carpenter was awarded the Medal of Honor for his military service in Afghanistan in 2010. Military reports say Carpenter fell forward onto a grenade in an effort to shield other soldiers from the impending explosion.

(H/T: WIS-TV)