(CNN) Time was of the essence for two Illinois state troopers.

It was a little after 4 a.m. CST Tuesday on Interstate 55 when a vehicle carrying a fresh human heart got a flat tire. Along with the organ going to the University of Chicago Medical Center's Hyde Park campus from the airport: a surgeon, transplant coordinator and medical student.

"There is about a 4- to 6-hour window of time for a heart to remain viable for surgery, and the team had already been traveling for approximately three hours," said hospital spokeswoman Ashley Heher.

That's when the troopers showed up, responding to a call for a disabled vehicle, according to an Illinois State Police press release

"The Troopers immediately realized this was a time-sensitive situation and without hesitation they transported the three people and the donor organ to the academic medical center," the release said.

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