THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, April 14, 1995 TAG: 9504140433
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY LARRY W. BROWN, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 68 lines
Eric Drew groped through the muddy water of the pond into the overturned car and pulled out 22-month-old Antonio Coleman, who was strapped upside-down in a car seat.
``He was blue in the face,'' said Drew, a Virginia State University sophomore from Norfolk. ``I passed the baby to a police officer who just arrived at the scene. It was perfect timing.''
Minutes later Wednesday morning, he and two other men pulled Antonio's aunt and 4-year-old cousin from the car in Prince George County. Two police officers used cardiopulmonary resuscitation to revive Antonio.
Drew, an Eagle Scout, had done more than his good deed for the day.
``I think about it every minute,'' said Drew on Thursday. ``It feels good to help somebody and give them a chance. He didn't have a chance, he's just an infant,'' said the 20-year-old, a 1993 graduate of Maury High School.
Drew said his Scout training with Troop 77 at First Baptist Church on Bute Street paid off.
``To become an Eagle Scout, you have to practice saving lives. . . ,'' he said. ``But it's a big difference between practicing and doing the real thing.''
Drew said he felt odd before the incident - like something was going to happen that day - but he had no idea he'd be called on to help save lives.
He was driving back to Hopewell, where he rooms, from morning classes near Petersburg when he saw a small crowd gathering near a roadside embankment. He drove past, then doubled back.
A 1986 Chevrolet Spectrum had flipped into the small pond after it veered off the right side of the road and plunged 15 feet down the slope.
Five or six people were standing there looking at the overturned compact car. A bystander said someone was trapped inside, so Drew - along with Louis Perez of Enon and Greg Wells of Richmond - waded through water about 3 1/2 feet deep to help.
``I'm glad they were there, too,'' Drew said about the other rescuers. ``I couldn't have done it alone.''
The driver, 29-year-old Sherita Luckett, was treated and released from a hospital. Her daughter, Tiffany, was listed in stable condition on Thursday afternoon. Antonio was also in stable condition.
Drew said the reality of the events set in after he left the media crowd drawn to the scene.
``I knew I helped save the little boy,'' he said. ``I hope someone would do that for me.''
Drew's parents, George Sr. and Rayetta, live in Norfolk. He has two older brothers - Damani, a senior at Norfolk State University, and George Jr., a Virginia Tech junior.
``It was unbelievable,'' Rayetta Drew said about her son's deed. ``I just couldn't believe it.''
She said Eric would sometimes rescue small animals as a child.
Eric Drew and his family have been praying for Antonio's recovery, and have been checking on the family.
And ``I'm praying for myself, to give me strength if something like that happens again,'' he said. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
Eric Drew
KEYWORDS: HERO RESCUE LIFESAVING by CNB