Two California deputies are being hailed as heroes after saving a man from being hit by an oncoming train.
San Mateo Sheriff's Department spokesman Salvador Zuno said deputies Lance Whitted and Erik Rueppel rushed to the railroad tracks after they heard a car crash into the crossing guardrail on Monday. That's where they found a car stuck on the tracks and the driver struggling to get out.
The New York Daily News reports that one deputy ran to the car and pulled the driver out. That driver fell to the ground, and the deputy dragged him by his arm to safety. Meanwhile, the other deputy ran to the tracks to warn the train to stop. Seconds later, the train crashed into the car.
A second train came barreling down the tracks moments later and also smashed into the car.
"It was close," Whitted told NBC Bay Area. "We're just glad we were here because, obviously, that would have been a different result."
Deputies said the driver appeared to be intoxicated, and they are investigating.
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– WPXI-TV in Pittsburgh contributed to this report.
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