An off-duty state trooper taking his daughter to school and a Campbell University official heading to work are being called heroes after rescuing a man trapped in his overturned car that had just submerged in a creek Monday morning in Johnston County.
At 6:39am, a car driven by Jarrell Booker, 20, had drifted off US 301 just south of the Benson city limits and overturned in a creek.
Trooper Dwight Braswell was in his personal vehicle headed to school to drop off his child when he spotted a crowd gathered on the side of US 301. He stopped to see if he could help.
Braswell and a second man who had also just stopped, Scott Asbill of Benson, an associate dean at Campbell’s College of Pharmacy, jumped in the frigid waters and found Booker still alive but trapped in his car. They worked for several minutes until they were able to open a passenger door and pull Booker out of the submerged vehicle. The Benson Fire Department arrived on the scene and assisted the Good Samaritans and Booker from the creek.
Booker was rushed to Wake Medical Center in Raleigh for treatment.
The Highway Patrol believes Booker fell asleep while heading home from his job. The temperature at the time of the crash was 29 degrees.
Trooper Braswell and Asbill are being called heroes for showing great courage while disregarding their own safety to assist a stranger literally seconds away from potential death. Photo courtesy NC Highway Patrol
