By Jennifer Shrader

Staff writer

When Eric Duncan was seriously injured in a crash on Willowood Road April 25, his classmates came together to do the only thing they could do: pray.

Every school day since the accident, a classroom at Callaway High School has been packed as students arrive at 7:30 a.m. to pray before classes for their friend. Duncan, a junior at the school, was in serious condition at Atlanta Medical Center this morning.

Friends say he has been in a coma since the accident, but has shown signs of improvement.

“He’s doing a lot better,” says Jessica Sticher, a friend of Duncan’s. “Every day we’ve been praying and they’ve taken him off the respirator. They’re supposed to take the tube out of his head that was relieving pressure on his brain. We’re going to keep praying until he walks out of the hospital.”

The prayer group started as a small gathering of friends but has grown to include teachers and speakers from local churches, including Faith Baptist, Mountville Baptist and First Baptist Church on Lafayette Square. Two coaches, Kareem Douhne and J.J. Walls, also gave the students some encouragement.

“They told us it will be OK no matter what happens,” Sticher said.

Walls said it’s “awesome” to see the students come together.

“They initiated this on their own,” he said. “It’s been amazing how he’s improved every day… I just read them some scripture and talked to them about praying with confidence.”

Students say that, by luck, a remodeling crew was working at a nearby house and saw the crash, coming to Duncan’s aid. He was taken to Atlanta with severe swelling of his brain, bruising on the brain and blood on the brain.

Students have decided to take more action in hopes of preventing future crashes. They say the incident occurred in a “bad curve” on the road that leads to the school and are circulating a petition urging authorities to put a guard rail or other safety items at the spot.

“My own brother had a wreck there,” Sticher said. “There needs to be a guard rail there.”

A petition circulated at the school has collected nearly every signature in the student body; students are set to take it around the area to get signatures of others in the community. The petition has 600 signatures and counting.

“There have been several (wrecks) in the past involving previous CHS students, including two this year,” said Alex Rose, Duncan’s best friend. “Now we’re here to try and help the community and its citizens, especially high school students, traveling that road. Let me also mention none of the wrecks on this dangerous curve have involved any alcohol or drug usage. This is a hard time for all of us, we only want to make sure this doesn’t happen again. We think a guard rail would prevent these accidents from being so severe.”

Jennifer Shrader may be reached at jshrader@lagrangenews.com or at (706) 884-7311, Ext. 236.