A 6-year-old boy received more than a warm welcome when he returned home from the hospital after heroically saving his baby sister from being hit by a car.

Kayden Reid of Mobile, Alabama, was hit by a car while rescuing his 2-year-old sister, Kaycee, from oncoming traffic during a family event.

"By the time everybody else saw [Kaycee] in the street, Kayden was right there. … He ran right into the street to save her. But in the process of getting her out of the way, he got hit by the car," the children's mother, Kayla Giles, said, per Fox News. "We're just thankful that we have both kids [home and safe] today."

Reid was quickly taken to the hospital, where he stayed for a few days while his injuries were treated. The boy's aunt, Kendra Nettles, told WALA the woman behind the wheel of the vehicle immediately stopped the car to check on the children after the accident.

“It wasn’t her fault,” Nettles told the television station. “We’re just thankful that she stopped when she did to make sure that everything is OK with him and us.”

The Mobile Fire-Rescue Department first responded to the incident and transported Reid to the hospital. MFR's public information officer, Steven Millhouse, praised the young boy's actions.

"he's got the heart of a hero," he told Fox & Friends. "As a 6-year-old young man, for Kayden to be able to recognize what was happening and to react the way he did … he's definitely a beacon for our future," Millhouse said.

The response was a clear and quick decision for young Kayden, he told WALA.

“I had to go get her before she got ran over by the car. But that’s when the car hit me,” Reid said.

Upon being released from the care of his physicians, Reid earned a reward for his brave deed and was surprised by a group of firefighters who gave him a tour of a firetruck, even letting him sit in the driver's seat.

Kayden Reid

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