Alexander City, Alabama

Mock wreck, arrest teaches students the consequences of drinking and driving
April 18 , 2005 - The Outlook

Benjamin Russell High School students were witness to what appeared to be a fatal car crash Monday morning. However, it was only a test, and a warning to students as to what could happen when you drink and drive.

As part of a weeklong alcohol awareness program coordinated by D.A.R.E., police and emergency vehicles were at the scene of the mock wreck and pronounced one student dead and rushed two to the emergency room. A third student was arrested and taken to the police department.

The purpose of the mock disaster is to make high school students aware of the dangers of drinking and driving, D.A.R.E. Officer James Orr said. By staging the accident and several corresponding activities throughout the week, students will be armed with plenty of information as they prepare for this weekend's prom festivities.

"Statistics show that someone dies in an alcohol related car crash every 15 minutes," Orr said.

According to Orr, several local organizations planned and participated in the mock accident. These include the Tallapoosa County Children's Policy Council, the Alexander City Board of Education, the Alexander City Fire Department, the Alexander City Police Department and Benjamin Russell High School as well as several businesses within the community.

The mock car crash occurred Monday morning outside of the high school. Officials from the police department and fire department arrived at the scene, making the incident as realistic as possible. Two students died in the accident - one at the scene, the other at the hospital-and one student was paralyzed from the waist down. Another student was arrested for driving under the influence and transported to the Alexander City police department.

"It was very realistic," Orr said. "We wanted to provide the students with as many visual images as possible."

Michael Forehand, a senior at Benjamin Russell, was a witness to the mock accident, which took place around 10 a.m.

"It was so realistic that it was scary," he said. "It really hit home."

Senior Brandi Broughton played the role of the paralyzed crash victim. She said the paramedics and fire rescue officials took every precaution as if it was a real accident.

"I was lifted from the crash vehicle by a harness and they put a neck brace on me," she said. "They even used the Jaws of Life to take the roof off the car." She said the broken glass and special effects blood used in the scene intensified the reality of the situation. "It was a scary experience but the message was good," Broughton said.

Ray Kelly, technology specialist for Alexander City Schools, also participated in the mock accident. He said that all of the students involved in the staged accident did a tremendous job in making the scene as realistic as possible.

"They were just outstanding," he said. "They all displayed the proper emotions and took their roles seriously. A big thumbs up to all the kids who were involved."

Kelly said that the students at Benjamin Russell were involved in the planning process for the week's events. He also said he rode in the police car with the student who played the drunk driver in the mock accident.

"I rode in the police car with the student who played the drunk driver," Kelly said. "He had his fingerprints taken and he took a real Breathalyzer test."

Students from Benjamin Russell's television production class documented the mock accident. Teacher Laura Gulledge headed a team of six individuals, including Kelly, who filmed the entire mock disaster event, from the scene of the accident and rescue efforts to the emergency room to the police department. Gulledge's crew also filmed scenes of the reactions of the victims' family members and the funeral of one of the crash victims.

"I was really impressed with all of the actors and how seriously they took their roles in this production," Gulledge said. "They stayed in character throughout the entire process."

Gulledge and her students will edit the scenes and create a video presentation for the entire student body, to be shown Thursday.

Orr said the video would further establish the severity of the consequences for drunk driving and allow the students to fully process what they have witnessed this week.

Orr stressed the importance of the fact that it is illegal for any individual under the age of 21 to drink, buy or possess alcohol and students received information about the dangers of drunk driving.

"We want the students to have a memorable prom weekend and we want them to have fun," Orr said. 'But we also want them to be informed and make smart decisions about drinking and driving."

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