Utah State Trooper Pulls Man to Safety Seconds Before Train Collision

Dramatic video captured by a dashboard camera shows the moments when an officer with the Utah Highway Patrol managed to save a man's life by pulling him out of the way of an oncoming train.

It all began Wednesday morning, around 6:50 a.m. when Utah State Trooper Ruben Correa heard a radio call that a car had gotten itself stuck on the tracks. After finishing up a traffic stop, Correa went to the scene, where a car can be seen parked on the tracks with its lights on. The footage shows Correa jumping out of his vehicle, and racing to the car, where the driver had passed out due to an unknown medical condition, he told KTVX-TV.

"I heard the horn from a train, I looked to my left, and I was able to observe that train was coming fast. Anywhere from 50 to 80 miles an hour," Correa said. "So at that point I was a little but concerned about that…At that point I wasn’t really thinking, I was just doing my job and the main concern was just getting him out.”

The footage shows the train racing toward the two men, with the lights on the front of the train growing brighter as it comes closer to them. Correa reached the car and can be seen tugging on the driver, who the trooper said was unconscious by the time he reached him.

"Let's go! Get out of here! We've got a train coming! We've got a train coming!" Correa can be heard yelling as the train honks its horn. "We've got a train coming!"

Correan can be seen pulling the man's body out of the vehicle, tumbling down the embankment seconds before the massive train slams into the vehicle, dragging it along the tracks. Correa said he estimated the car was thrown nearly 30 feet in front of him and the driver he'd just rescued.

"Come on," Correa can be heard telling the man, who'd begun to walk as they try to get to a safer distance, away from the train as it begins to stop.

Fortunately, there were no known injuries to the officer or driver. The driver, who was not identified, was grateful for the assist, Correa told KTVX-TV, but was a little confused on how he got there in the first place.

"I'm still trying to process everything that happened," Correa said. "I’m just very grateful I was able to get him out alive. He's back with his family now."


Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content