PROSPECT, Conn. -- A man is being called a hero in his hometown of Prospect after he died trying to help a pregnant woman.

Michael Rutkowski's family said they are not surprised that he died trying to help someone else and that they are very proud of his actions.

Rutkowski, 44, was killed Friday in New Mexico by a man who is accused of running over his pregnant girlfriend.

Police said Michael Branch struck and killed Rutkowski, who stopped to help the woman.

Rutkowski and his wife, both engineers at National Security Technologies in Los Alamos, were on their way from Medanles to Espanola to buy a washing machine when they saw the violence unfolding along the highway.

Rutkowski was one of three men who stopped to help Branch's girlfriend after Branch allegedly ran her over north of Espanola, N.M. Police said the men stopped to help when it appeared that Branch was going to run over the woman again.

Police said Branch plowed his truck into Rutkowski, throwing him 50 feet in the air, killing him, while his wife watched in horror.

Rutkowski's brother, Stephen, told Eyewitness News that his father, Michael Rutkowski Sr., died suddenly four years ago. Rutkowski Sr., a former state trooper, had always taught his sons to help others, Stephen Rutkowski said.

"It's just something that was installed in us from when we were young kids -- you help people. When you see something like that, you don't even think of your own safety," he said.

Branch has been ordered held on $1 million bond. His court file includes more than a dozen arrests on robbery, assault and alcohol-related charges. He was arrested in April on drunken driving charges and his mother recently obtained a restraining order against him.

Branch's pregnant girlfriend was transported to a hospital, and both she and the baby are expected to survive.

Click here to e-mail news tips to Eyewitness News, or dial toll-free: 866-289-0333. Refresh WFSB.com often and watch Channel 3 Eyewitness News for the latest news updates.