DETROIT -- Four teenagers are being credited with saving the lives of a McFarland woman and her two children after a crash this past weekend in Wisconsin.

The four teens -- all seniors at McFarland High School -- were on their way to Madison for something to eat on Saturday afternoon when the van in front of them lost control while driving on Highway 51, just north of McFarland.

The teens -- Paul Thoreson, Ryan Oldenburg, Alex Hill and Robert Johnson -- said that they quickly responded when they saw the accident, WISC-TV reported.

"'They just swerved off the road down into the ditch and into a tree, and so, we saw this happen and immediately pulled over," Thoreson said.

The three friends helped get the mother, Sharon Strattan, and her two kids -- a 6-year-old daughter and 3-year-old son -- out of the car.

"I opened the trunk in the back of the van and pulled the little girl out and then I took her away from the car and stood with her," Johnson said.

Oldenburg said that the group's experiences were essential as they sought to help the victims.

"It was really efficient because these two went through pool training as first responders, they knew what to do," said Oldenburg.

After they rescued the family, the van burst into flames. Meanwhile, Hill was on the phone with emergency dispatchers.

"You do want to get in there with help and at the same time, you have to relay info to the dispatcher and they want you to hurry up and talk fast," Hill said.

Officer Mike Klementz was one of the first to the scene, and he said that without the boys' help, he's not sure the family would have survived.

"The driver had been injured and was pinned in the car," Klementz said. "The two kids were in car seats and would not have been able to get themselves out of the car."

Strattan said that they were grateful to the Good Samaritans who helped them out.

"Once I got into the ambulance, the EMTs described what happened to me, and to the car and I was floored and stunned," Strattan said.

The humble heroes said that they just did what had to be done.

"You could say we were at the right place at the right time," Oldenburg said.

The four boys didn't initially tell police that they were the ones who saved the family because they said no one asked.

Klementz said that the four are being referred for a citizen award and would be the first in the community to receive it.