A southern Alberta man who is credited with saving four children from being struck by a car says he was acting on instinct when he put his Hummer between them and an alleged distracted driver.

"I could just see, I just had the feeling that something bad was going to happen if something wasn't to stop that vehicle," said Darrell Krushelnicki from Taber.

"There was really no one else, I just had to do it. I had to do what I did."

Krushelnicki, 46, says he was pulling out of the the Bonnie Doon Shopping Centre in Edmonton around 4:25 p.m. Friday when he saw the four children stepping out into the crosswalk.

He says most vehicles stopped for the pedestrians but noticed that one, a silver Pontiac, wasn't slowing down.

Police say the driver was apparently using his cellphone.

Krushelnicki says he pulled his Hummer into the road, colliding with the side of the car and pushing it to the side before it could reach the crosswalk.

"The timing and everything did not seem in favour of a good result. So, I just did what did," he said.

Krushelnicki wasn't injured and says the other driver seemed shaken but not seriously hurt.

The children, who police say range between three and 16 years old, were not injured.

Krushelnicki says he's surprised by the amount of attention the crash has received, saying that he doesn’t think he did anything extraordinary.

"I don't feel like a hero at all. I believe anyone would have done that."

Police have charged a 23-year-old man with dangerous driving.