Authorities in Mississippi say a man was killed while saving his 3-year-old daughter who had managed to climb onto a tractor and turn it on.

Pearl River County Coroner Derek Turnage tells WLOX-TV that 24-year-old Bradley Christensen was crushed by the tractor June 23 in Lumberton. In a Wednesday report , the news station quotes family members as calling Christensen a hero.

Authorities say he had been talking to his landlord while his kids played outside when the toddler was able to push a button on the tractor and it began to roll. The tractor was moving toward the landlord's porch when Christensen rushed to take her down. It then pinned him underneath.

First responders performed life saving measures and airlifted Christensen to a hospital, where he died.

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Information from: WLOX-TV, http://www.wlox.com