NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A clerk at Lewis Country Store says God placed her at the right place and the right time when she found the baby asleep with his parents passed out behind the wheel.
Paula Brumit wasn’t sure what was happening when she saw the car parked next to pump six with its hazard lights on. Several minutes went by before she came up with the excuse of checking the pump receipt paper.
The car was facing away from her and from Brumit's perspective, she could only see one person leaning over the center console. Brumit said she tried to make enough noise to get their attention, but nothing seemed to work.
From the windshield it was clear, the two in the car were unresponsive. Inside were Stephen Tant and Florence Bowden who we would later learn passed out from a drug overdose.
“I opened the door and I proceeded to shake them, smack them in the face trying to wake them up. They just would not wake up,” Brumit said.
This is all happening while Brumit was on the phone with dispatch. A passerby saw the car and pointed out what appeared to be a baby carrier in the back seat.
“I proceeded to go from the front seat then to the back door. I opened it up and he was just sleeping through it all,” Brumit said.
The Nashville Fire Department arrived and used the overdose agent Narcan to revive both parents. They were taken away by ambulance for treatment and Brumit said the baby was taken to stay with a grandparent.
Brumit won’t call herself a hero, but she cringes at the mere thought of what could have happened had she not been there.
"I’ve got seven grandbabies. One due in January. I’m just a grandmother who would want anyone to do the same thing for any of mine if they needed help,” said Brumit.
Both Tant and Bowden face charges of DUI, child endangerment and possession of a controlled substance.
