James Pennell's quick thinking and heroic act saved a two-year-old boy's life in Fulton.

"It wasn't a conscience thing that, 'I know this is going to make me a hero,' or 'I want to save a kids life,'" Pennell said. "I just felt the need to do something, and I did it."

Pennell was celebrating his cousin's 30th birthday at a restaurant in Fulton. He was standing outside with his wife when they noticed a little boy walk past them and into the parking lot.

Pennell said the boy already had a lead on him, and he could tell the boy thought of the chase as a game. The little boy ran between parked cars and onto Second Street. Pennell was able to grab the boy and "throw" him safely back on the sidewalk. Unfortunately, he was not able to get out of the way of an oncoming van.

Pennell was hit, thrown on the windshield of the vehicle and landed nearly 40 feet away. Pennell suffered a broken back, femur and ribs and an injured right shoulder. He will undergo several surgeries. It is still unclear how long he will be in the hospital.

The two-year-old and his family visited the hospital to show Pennell their appreciation. The family said, "thank you" is just not enough.

Pennell said all of the thanks he needed was seeing the boy alive and uninjured.

"I think that everything that happened to me will eventually heal and I'll be able to move on," Pennell said. "But had I not been able to accomplish what I did, I don't think he would have been able to heal."

Pennell, 32, has a six-year-old daughter and a five-year-old son. He and his wife are expecting another daughter in three weeks.

Pennell said after this experience he knows someone is protecting him, and he has no regrets.