A tractor-trailer was weaving across U.S. 70 near Newport when Russell Brock, a Coastal Regional Solid Waste Management Authority employee driving his own CRSWMA tractor-trailer nearby, spotted the truck and realized something was badly wrong. The driver was slumped in his seat while the rig kept rolling. Brock climbed aboard the moving vehicle, made his way into the cab, and shut it down, bringing it to a stop.
According to Coastal Environmental Partnership, Brock was traveling east on U.S. 70 toward Newport when he encountered the tractor-trailer weaving across the roadway. He observed the driver slumped in the driver’s seat while the tractor-trailer remained in motion. The driver was responsive but appeared disoriented and indicated that he was unable to stop the vehicle, the organization reported.
Brock is also a volunteer firefighter with Jasper Township 9 Volunteer Fire Department, according to the same account. With the truck still moving, he entered the tractor, turned off the ignition and engaged the vehicle’s braking system, bringing the tractor-trailer to a stop. The tractor was operated by one of CRSWMA’s contracted transportation providers and was pulling a CRSWMA-owned trailer, per the organization's report.
Law Enforcement Helped Clear the Roadway
As Brock worked to bring the truck under control, law enforcement officers controlled traffic behind the tractor-trailer and protected other motorists, WCTI12 reported. Separately, WCTI12 reported that a state trooper and a Craven County sheriff’s deputy were involved in getting the truck stopped safely near mile marker 432 on U.S. 70. WCTI12 reported that the incident happened Thursday, September 24, 2026.
The driver was taken for a medical evaluation afterward, WCTI12 reported. The driver's identity and the specifics of his condition have not been released, according to the Charlotte Observer, which also reported that the driver works for a company contracted by CRSWMA to deliver solid waste from the authority's transfer stations to the Tuscarora Landfill.
CRSWMA Plans to Honor Brock's Actions
CRSWMA Executive Director Bobby Darden told the Charlotte Observer that the incident ended without a more serious outcome, crediting the quick response. CRSWMA plans to formally recognize Brock after all details of the incident are confirmed, WCTI12 reported.
For now, the episode stands as a reminder of how quickly a routine highway commute can turn into a life-or-death moment — and how Brock's split-second decision to run toward danger, rather than away from it, kept a stretch of U.S. 70 in Craven County from becoming the scene of something far worse.
