Today was "Senior Day" at Orchard Park High School, and it began with a very serious message. Teens were taken outside and witnessed a mock car crash, right outside their high school gym.
Orchard Park's SADD chapter, Orchard Park Police, local firefighters, and Mercy Flight all participated in the staged accident. Two cars were involved and a third mini-van actually exploded.
Five teens were involved in the mock crash. Both teen drivers were driving under the influence - one under the influence of alcohol and the other had drugs in his system. It was a fatal wreck, so Orchard Park's seniors actually witnessed one of their classmates being put in a body bag.
It was emotionally jarring for me. I've seen plenty of these re-enactments on TV, but up close, and seeing the wreckage and police and fire crews rescuing the victims brought me back to my sister's crash 10 years ago.
Here's a link to WIVB-TV's news story on the mock crash.
I was at the school to work the mock crash into a video project I'm producing with STOP DWI of Erie County, before my presentation to seniors for their assembly. I also interviewed police, a prosecutor and volunteer firefighters for that project.
Following the mock crash, seniors were taken into the auditorium to see the teens charged and placed in jail on video. Orchard Park Police Officer Patrick Fitzgerald and Assistant District Attorney Brian Parker then talked to students about the dangers of DWI, before I told them Karen's story.
Teens were very attentive and I was impressed by the response. It was the first opportunity for Garrett, my brother-in-law, who's also a senior at O.P. to hear Karen's story, and I was glad he was able to hear the presentation.
A special thank you to O.P. for their generous donation to Crusade Against Impaired Driving. Another thank you to Larry Goble for organizing the mock crash and assembly and Don Lorentz, who helped with the video project this morning.
Deanna
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