This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Schools

High School Students Watch 'Accident' Unfold

Mock accident drives home the dangers of drinking and driving.

You could hear a pin drop in the Jefferson Township high school parking lot on Thursday morning, as junior and senior students watched a mock accident unfold before their eyes, complete with ambulances, police and fire vehicles and a medevac helicopter.

The scene unfolded first via video, with a split screen depicting two couples about to leave for the prom and a family with a young girl about to leave for dinner to celebrate the child's birthday. The video ended with the screen going black and sirens beginning to wail in the parking lot.

The action then continued live in the parking lot, with the boy in one of the prom couples, played by Garrett Mullins, being tested for driving while intoxicated while his prom date, played by Sara Benjamin, was extricated from the car with the roof being cut off and the doors being cut off to remove the other couple, played by Dan Malloy and Emily Voorhees.

Find out what's happening in Jeffersonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Benjamin "died" in the accident. She was placed on a gurney and covered in sheets. At that point, all the vehicles turned off their engines, making for an eerily quiet scene. Benjamin's mother in real life, Kathleen, was driven to the scene in a squad car and was asked to "identify" her daughter.

After the accident was over, student assistance counselor Joanne Martino discussed the incident with the students.

Find out what's happening in Jeffersonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"This was not an accident. This was something avoidable," she said. "These students chose to drink and drive.

"How do you think your family would feel if that was you they had to come and identify," she asked. "Don't do this to your family or yourself."

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?