10-year-old steers truck to safety after driver suffers diabetic episode

A 10-year-old boy from Montgomery, Alabama is being hailed as a hero after he helped steer a truck to safety after his neighbor suffered from a diabetic episode while driving on a busy highway.

Christopher Wheeler was riding in the front seat of his neighbor, Alfred Smith's, truck when he noticed something wasn't right. Suddenly the 70-year-old went into shock and the car started weaving across lanes of traffic on I-65.

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"He got sick and he was swerving across the road," the third grader told WSFA. "He started getting sweaty and said he needed a piece of candy."

The courageous kid didn't hesitate to act when he realized his neighbor was in trouble. He quickly grabbed the wheel, guiding the car safely off the road and applying the brake.

"The child's actions may have saved the driver's life, his own life and the lives of others on the road at the time," the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency wrote in a Facebook post.

Wheeler's act of bravery has quickly gone viral, garnering over 59,000 likes as of Monday evening.

The driver of the vehicle was given a cookie and taken to the hospital when medics arrived.

The responding officer, senior Trooper Lee Walls, then took Wheeler to grab food while they waited for family members to arrive.