A pair of high schoolers and a third bystander on his way home from a nearby party took quick action early Sunday morning to save the lives of two men that were trapped in their SUV after it careened over the edge of the Waterfront on St. Thomas.
Kalan Bernier and Dillon Hodge were driving up the Waterfront on St. Thomas early Sunday when they noticed the car fly by in their rear-view mirror. A few feet away, but on foot, Agyei Gregory was returning to his car from an event in Emancipation Garden when his girlfriend also alerted him that the vehicle had hit the water. Separately – and within minutes – the three converged in the area near Vendors Plaza, saving the lives of the passenger and driver, whom the V.I. Police Department said survived with non-life-threatening injuries.
Hodge was the first one to jump in, according to Bernier. Once the pair realized what happened, they quickly made a plan – one was to go in first, then the other if something happened. In a bizarre twist, Hodge, a senior at Charlotte Amalie High School, managed to unbuckle the passenger and went to pull him out but the door shut behind him, leaving Bernier to spring into action.
“I didn’t really think about it. I just jumped in, hoping I could help everyone out,” he said on the phone Monday night. Though he’s a regular on the water, Bernier – also a senior at Charlotte Amalie High School who hopes to join the Coast Guard after graduation – said he had never before been in such a situation, but worked quickly with Hodge to make sure all four made it out alive.
Meanwhile, on the sidewalk, Gregory had called 911 and watched intently as the four heads popped up and began heading back to the apron. Within seconds, however, he noticed one person flailing, unable to swim. Without thinking, he, too, jumped in.
“Fortunately, he was out of the car, but I knew I had to help,” Gregory said, speaking of the driver. Asked what he was feeling as he swam out, Gregory said he wasn’t fearful but pushed himself to cover as fast as possible the long distance between the car and the shore.
“I knew I couldn’t panic – that’s been instilled in me from a young age,” he said. “I would have felt horrible if there was something I could do or someone I could save, and I didn’t do it.”
With both of the occupants and all three Samaritans out, VIPD, EMT and Fire Services responders gathered at the scene and began assessing the injuries, which, according to Officer Ashlyn Xavier, were non-life threatening. VIPD spokesperson Glen Dratte said alcohol and drug tests on the passenger and driver were clean – the pair appeared to have been going the wrong way down the street and either got distracted or fell asleep, he explained.
“We thank these young men for their heroic and selfless efforts – jumping in without a thought to save the lives of those in need,” Xavier added. “The situation easily could have turned out differently, but thanks to their quick action, it didn’t and we are grateful for that.”
