Car trouble is inconvenient and terrible. But what can make that bad situation worse is having car trouble when you’re traveling with children. The stakes are higher. We know their bodies are more fragile, and it’s harder to keep them safe. Our protective instincts activate, and we have to think about the best course of action to save not only them but ourselves as well.

One mother in California was faced with this scenario when her vehicle stopped on the train tracks. Thankfully, a police officer was around who happened to help both her and her children walk away unharmed.

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Deputy Michael Castaneda said the train’s horn was like the ‘start of a race.’

San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department Deputy Michael Castaneda was in his car near a railroad crossing when he noticed a train approaching an SUV sitting on the train tracks, KCAL reported.

He told the CBS affiliate that the SUV was trying to maneuver off the tracks but got stuck in some gravel. Castaneda, who was not on duty at the time, saw a woman exit the car, taking a child from the vehicle.

“As soon as she put that child down, I heard the horn and to me, that was the start of a race,” he said. “I started running to get that kid out of there.”

More from CafeMom: Heart-stopping’ Video Shows Hero Deputy Save 6-Month-Old Baby Girl After Fatal Car Crash

Two children were in the car.

The woman put the first child down and returned to the car to retrieve another. “Time slowed down but it was just seconds,” Castaneda explained.

Cellphone video of the incident shows Castaneda sprinting over to the car, grabbing the child and escaping the train’s path in the nick of time. The train then struck the SUV, pushing it several yards before the train was able to stop.

Castaneda said it was perfect timing.

The deputy grabbed the first child and ran in one direction. The mother grabbed the second child and ran the other way. Had he not interceded, the first child would have been too close to the car as it slid down the tracks. “I think it was just the perfect timing for me to be somewhere,” Castaneda said.

Castaneda was given the Meritorious Valor Award by the sheriff’s department.

For his heroism, Castaneda was honored with the Meritorious Valor Award, according to the  San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department. In a post on X, officials called Castaneda’s actions “a true example of courage and dedication to our community.”

For Castaneda, a former Marine, his purpose is very simple. “What I do for my job, what I’ve done in the past is just to help people,” he said.

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