The Los Angeles County Probation Department will be awarding a Medal of Valor to Deputy Probation Officer Martha Corbett for her part in rescuing an 11-year-old boy who was standing too close to train tracks last October. 

Deputy Probation Officer Martha Corbett a probation liaison with the city of Norwalk was visiting a middle school last Oct. 3 when school officials were alerted that the boy had run away from the school and was standing close to nearby train tracks, according to the probation department.

The boy was upset by his parents divorce and had run away from school during a parent meeting. 

Corbett made contact with the boy, then realized a train was rapidly approaching.

“I decided to intervene when I heard the sirens and the train begin to honk its horn,” Corbett said in a statement released by the Probation Department. “I knew it was critical to remove the young man and myself from danger. Most importantly, I did not want that young man to jump in front of the train.”

When the boy got close enough to Corbett she grabbed him and pulled him to safety “just moments before the train passed,” according to the Los Angeles Probation Department.

“I am happy that I was able to de-escalate the situation and I am thankful for all of my years of probation training which enabled me to identify a critical situation and take action,” said Corbett, who was publicly recognized by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors last October.

The Probation Department’s Medal of Valor is for on-duty or off-duty staff who distinguish themselves through bravery or heroism “beyond the normal demands of service displaying great courage in the face of immediate life-threatening peril and with full knowledge of the risk involved.”

You can read the full article at My News L.A.