Family friend reports Emma Dewey is awake, ‘chipper’

A family friend of Andrea and Emma Dewey said on Wednesday that Emma is awake and “chipper.”

Andrea Dewey was driving her daughter Emma and her friend Grace Sulak, both 14, back to Bluffton from a track meet in Columbia Saturday around 5:45 p.m. on I-26 in Calhoun County when their vehicle was involved in an accident with a driver who fled the scene, according to the S.C. Highway Patrol.

Both Andrea and Emma Dewey were injured during the crash and flown to Palmetto Health Richland Trauma Center near Columbia.

Emma Dewey was placed in a medically induced coma, according to family friend Rebecca Baez, but was brought out of that coma by physicians and was awake by Wednesday.

“I don’t know if they’ve notified her yet about her friend (Grace Sulak),” Baez said Wednesday. “But according to the latest updates, she’s chipper and already asking to get out of her back brace.”

The hospital said Monday that Andrea Dewey was listed in fair condition. Baez said Wednesday that Andrea continues to be awake, alert and is healing.

“Both of them are on the road to recovery,” Baez said.

The patrol is still searching for the driver who fled after the collision, Sgt. Bob Beres said Wednesday.

On Monday, patrol officials said they were looking for a white Dodge Ram 2500 crew cab truck with damage to the front right fender that they believed was involved in the crash.

Anyone with information about the crash or the driver who fled the scene can contact the Highway Patrol at 843-953-6010 or Crime Stoppers at 1-888-CrimeSC.

This story was originally published May 11, 2016 at 3:18 PM with the headline "Family friend reports Emma Dewey is awake, ‘chipper’."