REDLANDS, Calif. (KCAL/KCBS) – An off-duty California deputy put his life on the line to save a child as a train quickly approached a car stuck on the railroad tracks. The dramatic moments were captured on video.

San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Deputy Michael Castaneda made the decision to run in front of a moving train to save the life of a child on a rural road in Redlands. Cell phone video shows Castaneda picking up the child as the train approaches them dangerously.

“I knew something was going on and something had to be done quickly,” the deputy said.

Castaneda was off duty at the time of the incident in September, heading home from work. He was behind a car at a railroad crossing when the gate began to close.

“It started a very quick process in my mind of what was going on, especially when I saw that the car tried to go off the road and ended up stuck in the gravel,” Castaneda said.

While the driver was stuck on the tracks, she did not run away from the oncoming train but got back into the car, according to Castaneda.

“At that point, I realized very quickly that there was probably a child in there or another passenger in the vehicle, and that train was coming very close,” the deputy said.

The mother put one child down on the ground and got back into the car for the second child. All this time, the train was approaching.

“As soon as he put that kid down, I heard the horn and for me, that was the start of a run. I just started running to get that kid out of there,” Castaneda said. “Time slowed down, but it was seconds.”

That’s when the video begins, showing the deputy picking the child up off the ground and running. Cradling her other child, the mother ran in the opposite direction.

“I think it was the perfect time for me to be somewhere,” Castaneda said.

As a former marine, the deputy says he didn’t ask himself what to do.

“What I do for my job, what I’ve done in the past, is just to help people,” he said.

Castaneda was later honored with the Meritorious Valor Award for saving the child. The sheriff’s department described him as “a true example of courage and dedication to our community.”

Despite the story’s positive ending, Castaneda says it’s also a reminder that you shouldn’t cross train tracks unless you know you can get to the other side safely.

“When there’s no room on the other side of the tracks, don’t start crossing the tracks,” he said.

Because when seconds count and choices are made, it’s easy to see how it could have ended differently.

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