A California teenager sacrificed his own life to save his girlfriend from a train that struck them from behind on Friday evening in Marysville.

Mickayla Friend and Mateus Moore, both 16, were attending the Sadie Hawkins Day Dance at the Marysville Charter Academy For The Arts when they stepped out to get some snacks. They walked south along the train tracks to get to the Dollar Tree store when a freight train approached from behind.

The train engineer sounded the horn, which was clearly heard at a nearby little league baseball game, but the couple continued, unaware of the impending danger.

When both teenagers finally looked back at the train, it was too late to get out of the way. Moore pushed Friend out of the way, but was run down by the engine. He died on the scene. Friend was seriously injured and was airlifted out, but she is expected to survive.