FRIENDS IDENTIFY DRIVER Friends Identify Driver Believed To Be In Sunken Car
Reported by: Leslie Rubin
Videographer: Jeremy Bias
Web Producer: Leslie Rubin
Reported: Apr. 27, 2012 10:24 PM EDT
Updated: Apr. 28, 2012 11:37 AM EDT
EYEWITNESS ONLINE WEBCAST VIDEO C L I C K T O P L A Y
Charleston
, Kanawha County
, West Virginia
Agonizing questions for family and friends of the man said to be driving a car that plunged into the Kanawha River on Thursday.
He has yet to be officially identified by authorities, but friends say he is John Damron, 30, of Charleston.
Damron was a mine inspector for the DEP and friends say they're absolutely devastated he hasn't been found.
"He was just overly happy aboout life in general. He was just always happy," said his friend and teammate Moses Scarberry.
"I can't say enough about the guy. I can't say a bad thing about the guy," said Tristan Jones.
Teammates say Damron loved three things: laughing, life, and playing ball.
"Didn't matter whether is was softball, baseball. There was just something about the love of the game, he just enjoyed it so much," said Scarberry.
Friday night, their team had a game they said they were playing for him, hoping for a win, and keeping his memory alive.
"Be strong, have fun, and go out and get a win. That's exactly what he would say," said Chris Surratt.
Damron was a Captial High School graduate and plays softball for the Elk Funeral Home Lolligaggers. They say he was more than a teammate, more than a friend...he was a brother to them.
"You'd ask him for help or you'd need something he was right there for you. I've known John since elementary school and I've never once seen him without a smile," said Surratt.
"There's no way, there's no absolute way to take it. It's extremely hard," said Surratt.
Friends say Damron was a diabetic and that medical condition likely played a role in the accident.
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Leslie Rubin
