The time is 12:30 p.m.
Blue lights flash and ambulance sirens pierce the air as a dozen volunteer firefighters and other emergency personnel jump onto the scene of a two-car crash. Blood pools on the ground and on the windows of the cars, and the students involved in the crash are visibly injured. The rescuers begin to extricate the victims as onlookers gather at the scene.
Most importantly, it’s all fake.
Delaware County Emergency Management contacted Superintendent Dr. Kristen Rickey and Principal Tim Felderman about the possibility of having a mock crash before the end of the school year. The administration felt it would be a good educational opportunity as well as an impactful reminder to students of the power of their decision-making behind the wheel.
Upperclassmen shuffled out behind the old bus barn to watch the mock crash, which began with a 9-1-1 call and ended with a helicopter flyover, a full extrication of the “victims,” and an impactful video viewed in the school auditorium.
“Education was the number one purpose, and we know sometimes it doesn’t come from a textbook,” Felderman said. “We also wanted to fold in high-speed driving, distracted driving, texting and driving, things like that.”
The school enlisted several high school students to act as victims in the crash, with parent permission. The students were given makeup and prosthetic bones to attach to their bodies to make it look like they were truly injured.
Junior Caleb Stocks was one of them. “Trapped” in a car with Stephanie La Rosa (12), the pair were covered with a blanket while the fire department took the roof off the car like they would in a real accident.
“When the blanket covered us in the crash, we had no idea what was going on outside of us,” Stocks said. “That would be scary if it was happening in a real accident.”
First responders treated the student actors as if they were real victims of a crash, as well as performed a mock sobriety test. Once they were out of their vehicles, the students were put in neck braces, loaded onto stretchers, and escorted away from the scene.
Witnessing the mock crash was jarring for many students, including senior Ashleigh Hartman.
“I don’t like this at all,” Hartman said as she watched the extrication. “It’s too realistic. What if I were Caleb, just lying there, waiting to be saved? It’s terrifying.”
Senior Daijah Foster felt the same.
“I would be very scared if I was in this situation, simply because I didn’t know all of this goes on with one crash,” Foster said. “It is a major deal to them.”
After the mock crash was over and all of the “victims” had been “rescued,” the students watching went back into the school to view a video about three teens who had actually been in a severe accident in Dubuque several years ago.
“How do you make an impact?” Felderman asked. “You get emotional. I think the video was the more emotional component because it brought in the family aspect.”
The students took a lot away from the crash, the video, and the reactions from their peers.
“It was definitely a reminder to be responsible while driving,” Stocks said.
Junior Josie McMahon was another of the students who acted as a victim. “Being a part of the crash has definitely made me more cautious as a driver,” McMahon said.
“I hope the students got something out of this,” Felderman said. “I hope they had the realization that split-second decisions can have a lasting impact.”
