By RYAN LANCASTER
Staff Reporter
Tears flowed outside of Medical Lake High School last Thursday as students watched emergency workers pull a classmate's body from the wreckage of a head-on collision.
Some tears were genuine, a reaction to the grisly reality that can result from driving drunk, while others were scripted, the product of months of hard work by members of the MLHS leadership class in preparation for the school's first ever mock DUI demonstration.
Hundreds of teachers and students gathered near the north end of the school to watch a vivid scene unfold. Teens dressed for prom tumbled out of two mangled cars in a haze of smoke and screaming. A beer can was lodged in the cracked windshield of one car; a girl lay unmoving across the crushed hood of the other. Crews from the Medical Lake Fire Department quickly arrived on scene where they tended to the wounded and tried unsuccessfully to resuscitate an injured young man before placing a sheet across his face.
Spokane County Sheriff's Office deputies arrived to question and arrest the drunk and bloodied driver of one car, who cradled his head in disbelief as two of his peers were wheeled toward a hearse.
After the carnage played out the crowd filed into the gymnasium, where a simulated funeral was held for seniors Myryda Johnson and Cody Greene, the two casualties of the mock tragedy.
Greene said that for him, being a part of the action was a “life changing” experience.
“It was really weird because normally you're not alive when you're in that sort of situation,” he said. “Having your shirt cut open and being worked on – you see a whole other aspect of life.”
Another actor said she was startled by how real it all felt. “When we were practicing, people would giggle and stuff and it wasn't serious, but being out there and seeing it…I started with fake crying but it turned instantly real,” she said.
MLHS leadership teacher Ann Everett, who oversaw the project, said about 25 students and staff helped put the presentation together over the past couple of months with the collaboration of local emergency services personnel and businesses, including Hennessey Funeral Home and AA Auto Salvage. “These kids had such passion and belief in this program, they've put their heart and soul into this to make sure it has some real effect,” she said.
Patrick Ramsey with American Medical Response was on hand to offer expertise gleaned from his 15 years as an EMT and his familiarity with helping other area schools plan mock crashes. He said mock DUIs are a great tool for getting teens to see the stark reality that one bad decision can bring, adding, “the visual effect helps them see that it could happen to them, that they're not invincible.”
Everett said a lot of research was done on the effectiveness of the program before the school decided to run it this year and, most likely, every few years from this point forward. “We just want kids to be safe,” she said. “We have been so fortunate, knock on wood, and have never had (a fatal DUI accident) happen at this school, but if we can make one person think about what they do before drinking and driving then this is totally worth it.”
Ryan Lancaster can be reached at ryan@cheneyfreepress.com.
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