Woman Spots a Helpless Turtle at a Railroad Crossing and Stops Everything to Save Him
Usually, wild animals do just fine living their lives without human intervention. But once in a while, we get the chance to step up and be a hero to an animal in need.
A Kansas woman is being celebrated after she spotted a helpless turtle stuck on the railroad tracks and shared a video of the miraculous rescue.
@accuweather A woman rescued a turtle that was stuck at a railroad crossing in Kansas. After a couple of minutes of maneuvering, the turtle was safely freed.
original sound - AccuWeather
In this video shared by AccuWeather's TikTok account on June 15, Martha Henkel Boucher documented what happened when she saved a turtle who was stuck under the tracks while she was on her way to church.
This poor box turtle was trapped between two rails, but Martha fearlessly lifted him out and moved him away from the tracks to safety.
"'It was so odd looking, and I love animals, so I turned around and, sure enough, it was a turtle stuck in the rail. Got out to help it and filmed it. Took a few minutes to get it out," Martha told Metro of the rescue.
She was definitely in the right place at the right time, because I don't even want to imagine what could have happened if she wasn't there to save this turtle.
Related: Abandoned Pet Turtle Living in Pond Is So Grateful for Woman Bringing Food
How to Safely Help a Turtle Crossing the Road
You never know when you might have the chance to be a hero and help a turtle in need the way that Martha did, so why not be prepared?
If you happen to spot a turtle who looks like they need help crossing a road, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service asserts that this is a beautiful thing to do, as long as you're doing it the right way, especially since female turtles will often get stuck trying to cross the road when they're looking for a safe place to lay their eggs.
- Keep safety first - remember that the turtle you're helping could bite you if you handle them, so the ideal way to help is to stand guard while they cross so that they aren't hit by any cars.
- If you do need to pick them up, don't grab them by the tail. Instead, pick them up and place them down in a safe spot that is the same direction they were going.
- If you can move them without touching them, like by sliding a car mat underneath them and only holding the mat, that would be even safer.
- Be sure to fully wash and sanitize your hands after handling the turtle, since some can carry dangerous bacteria like salmonella, as PetMD points out.
You never know when it's your turn to save the life of a turtle who could really use some human assistance. Who knows? You could become a hero at any time!
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This story was originally published June 18, 2026 at 7:49 AM.