Staged accident teaches real life lessons about drunk driving

by Andrew Sweeney (aesweeney@wsbt.com)

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Emergency responders attend to a student as part of a staged drunk driving accident scene at Niles High School

Emergency responders attend to a student as part of a staged drunk driving accident scene at Niles High School on Thursday, April 10, 2008. (WSBT photo)

By Beth Boehne

Story Created: Apr 10, 2008 at 4:36 PM EST

Story Updated: Apr 10, 2008 at 4:37 PM EST

NILES — Prom season and high school graduation are just around the corner. Unfortunately some students may be tempted to drink and get behind the wheel. Niles High School wants to prevent that so they staged a drunken driving crash with students as victims.

One person is killed every 15 minutes in an alcohol related crash.

"It's actually realizing that this could happen to your friends. It could happen to you and you could know people that are affected by it," said Chelsea McIntyre, a junior at Niles High School.

Students watched in the rain as their classmates were pulled from the staged car wreckage. Friends of the victims got the message.

"That could be prom night, you sitting there watching your friend get put on a stretcher and carried away," said Nichol Pyne, also a junior at Niles High School.

The drunk driver in the mock crash was taken away in handcuffs, the victims in an ambulance.

"A teacher telling them not to drink and drive is one thing, but when its classmates and upperclassmen who are the leaders of the school, I think it hits home," said teacher Jamie Foster.

And for these students it did. They say they won't be doing any drinking and driving.

The students weren't allowed to talk to the mock victims who died for the day. They will hold a mock memorial service for them on Friday.

Thursday, Sep 11 at 5:02 AM lola wrote ...

i am doing a speech on drink driving

Saturday, Apr 26 at 8:21 AM Arloa B class of 2008 wrote ...

One of the scariest things is drunk driving.... I am a senior at Niles and I had a really good friend playing the "living dead" and it hit home. I looked at her after the memorial service on Friday and felt relief that this wasn't real. I would have lost a good friend and walk around glum until graduation. I say that teens do need a wake-up call only because drinking and driving changes everything, whether you die or not. From the senior class Arloa

Saturday, Apr 12 at 11:34 PM Not proud, just lucky wrote ...

In the 70's I drove drunk all time. I was lucky, an idiot and would have deserved whatever I got. There is no skill to drinking and driving. Experience and ability are not going to offset impairment or intoxication. You can't cancel out 3 or 4 beers with 3 or 4 cups of coffee and simply because you are not staggering or drooling on yourself does not mean you're okay to drive. Kids, it's okay to drive 10 to 12 hours after you have been drinking and the minute you turn 21. It's worth the wait!

Saturday, Apr 12 at 9:36 PM Rachel Z wrote ...

i am a freshman at niles but when this happend some people thought it was funny because they all knew it was fake, including me. But at the end of the day it kind of started to scare me, i thought that that could happen to my sister on prom night. The following day at the memorial service the 21 people brought tears to my eyes.even though it may not be real but it CAN happen and im afraid it may happen to someone i love or am Very close to.

Friday, Apr 11 at 11:48 PM RJ wrote ...

Ryan, for the record, during the retreat I was at after day 1 of this E15M, I was shown a simulation. You have been lucky. Through the glasses I was looking through, what I thought I was "focusing" on was completely off from where I was actually looking. For you to even post that is completely arrogant and not worth anymore of my time to respond to. If you are looking for a reaction, you got it, now move on and go be productive. As for the program, I would say it was a complete success.

Friday, Apr 11 at 7:47 PM ff linn of niles city wrote ...

Mr. holland I was one of the firefighters that performed the extrication of your fellow classmates. You have no ideal how hard it is to get up in the middle of the night, and respond to a car crash, and see people messed up really bad, just because they thought it won't happen to me, and then one of us on scene has to call your parents and let them know that their kid is hurt or worst that they have been killed in a drunk driving crash.So Ryan i really hope you wake up and do the right thing

Friday, Apr 11 at 4:16 PM Abby wrote ...

I am also a student at Niles High School. At first no one knew what was going on yesterday but by the end of the day everyone did. The mock memorial service today brought tears to everyone's eyes and put everything into perspective for us. Parents got to speak also. Even though our fellow students were not dead or hurt, it really effected everyone in the school. I am glad that our school has done this.

Friday, Apr 11 at 11:13 AM NHS wrote ...

I am a student at Niles High School and I got to see first hand what kinf of effect this program had on the students. Some were immature as seen in the below postings. However, there were a lot of people that actually took it to heart. It is so important that people know, it isn't themselves they are endangering, its everyone else that is driving the same time that they are. I think that people need to realize that this could be so real and that we are fortunate enough for it not to be.

Friday, Apr 11 at 7:36 AM SICK TO MY STOMACH wrote ...

Ryan, I have been hit by a drunk driver, my brother was hit by a drunk driver - do you have any CLUE what that is like??? I bet putting your drunk butt in jail when you get caught will not be that difficult either!!!! You have some nerve - it's people like you that put me and my loved ones in danger....there is no word to describe the crap you shoveled in your statement....think it's funny? What is funny is you getting caught and going to jail - now that's humorous.....

Friday, Apr 11 at 7:17 AM Elkhart wrote ...

Mr. Holland you are an idiot. It is that type of idiot mentality that causes a death because of an alcohol related accident every 15 minutes. I just hope you don't cause harm to anyone but yourself when you have yours, because you will.

Thursday, Apr 10 at 9:57 PM Grow up Ryan Holland wrote ...

Thank you Ryan Holland for that drunk driving tip of the day. A lot of us come in here and make fun of other people and ridicule officials and blow off some steam about life in general but you have taken it to a new demension. If this is the crowning achievement in your life than you need to get another life. I have lost loved ones in drunk driving crashes and know others who have as well and I can tell you that your brand of humor is about as funny as a funeral for a best friend. You got any?

Thursday, Apr 10 at 9:45 PM Shanna wrote ...

And just how many times have you driven drunk, Ryan? How many times have you endangered your life and the lives of others??? I can't believe you!!! It's because of people like you that high schools do mock accidents to show how STUPID it is to drive drunk!!! I lost a great friend because of a drunk driver! IT IS NEVER ALRIGHT TO DRIVE AFTER YOU'VE BEEN DRINKING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thursday, Apr 10 at 7:55 PM Ryan Holland wrote ...

Driving drunk isn't really that difficult. It's a matter of focus, of course. First off you don't want to worry about whether or not your going to get pulled over. Don't start looking around for cops constantly, it takes your focus off the road. Just focus on keeping it between the lines on the road and glance at your spedometer every once in a while. This is because it can become difficult to tell how fast you're going if you are a bit tipsy. It's pretty straight forward and easy.

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