Image 1 of 2 ▼

MENTMORE, N.M. (AP) - An Arizona state trooper is credited with pulling an alleged drunk driver from his vehicle moments before an oncoming train slammed into it.

The Arizona Department of Public Safety released details Thursday about the Jan. 6 incident, which occurred across the state line in New Mexico.

Authorities say trooper Henry Roanhorse was driving home when he spotted a vehicle stuck on the tracks. Roanhorse saw a man in the driver's seat and crawled inside to free him when a train began approaching.

Authorities say Roanhorse dragged the nearly 300-pound (136-kilogram) driver, who initially fought with him, to safety by his feet.

Per DPS, "After the entire ordeal, the man told Trooper Roanhorse, 'Thank you officer, you just saved my life.' Roanhorse stated that he just remembered hearing the screeching of the train's emergency braking in the background as he struggled to remove the driver from the tracks."

McKinley County sheriff's officials say the driver, 56-year-old Sampson Whitegoat, was subsequently booked for DUI, failure to register a vehicle and driving without a license.