WORCESTER _ With prom and graduation season around the corner, the Worcester Central School SADD chapter did something Friday to remind students about the dangers they face if they drink and drive.
A mock fatal car crash began shortly after 12:30 p.m. when officers from the Otsego County Sheriff's Office and state police came into the Worcester school parking lot with lights and sirens going.
Deputy Mike Stalter explained to the 75 or so students in grades 7-12 that what they were seeing was a re-enactment.
The 40-member Students Against Destructive Decisions chapter started planning the event in March, said adviser Emily Hall.
"We wanted to stress to students that this is what can happen if you drink and drive, or even drive with someone who has been drinking," she said. "Students think they are invincible and these kinds of things happen to other people."
The event came not long after a fatal accident involving students from Gilbertsville-Mount Upton Central School, where police said alcohol was a contributing factor.
After some initial giggles by some students, most seemed to follow attentively.
They watched as deputies and troopers assessed the scene. Worcester firefighters used the Jaws of Life to cut some of the students out of the car.
When it was over, two students and a dummy were declared "dead" because one car's driver, played by senior Sabrina Young, was drunk, misjudged a turn and plowed into the driver's side of a car.
That vehicle was driven in the scenario by Kathryn Keenan, a junior. There were passengers inside both cars.
Students: Re-enactment will affect the decisions I make
For junior Matthew Ralph, 18, the incident hit close to home. It was about four weeks ago that someone he knew was injured in an auto accident, he said.
He has never been in that situation, and said the re-enactment made him more certain to avoid it in the future.
"I would never get in a vehicle with a drunk driver," he said as Stalter explained how emergency services teams work to ensure they don't further injure accident victims.
"We all make mistakes," Ralph said, but "this is one mistake you don't want to make. It can take many lives."
"It surprised me," said 15-year-old Ethan Decker, who spoke while watching the scene.
"I didn't think it would be this crazy," he said, as Otsego County Coroner James Hurley arrived at the scene and started his work.
Joe Gardner, 16, said that seeing the events will make him feel "really weird" the next time he goes to a party where alcohol is served. He will either stay away or offer to be a designated driver, he said.
The incident was "a learning experience," he said.
As police led the "drunken driver" away, Stalter said, "Tonight, she made the biggest mistake of her life."
Although that driver in the re-enactment may be a very nice person, he said, she will be prosecuted for her mistake that affected so many.
He told the students that the scenario was not implausible, because he made 43 arrests for driving while intoxicated last year, and others made more. There was a recent arrest in Worcester, he said.
"I think it was very good for students to see what happens," said Keenan.
Hopefully, it will help save some lives when kids see what happens, she said. "It's so preventable."
People say parent-child discussions needed
Senior Ralph Basso, 17, is a SADD member who also had a role in the re-enactment.
"No matter what anyone says, kids are going to drink and go to parties," he said. "Hopefully, (the re-enactment) will make kids a lot more careful, especially someone with a license."
His parents have told him that if he is ever in a situation where he needed their help, he can call them to be picked up.
"It's important they make that agreement," he said about students and parents in general. "It's an important conversation."
Among the adults watching the event was Worcester teacher aide Dawn Handy. With a 13-year-old son, Devin Adams, the scenario is something all parents worry about, she said.
She would hope he would make the right choice in avoiding such situations, she said, but if not, she would want him to call home.
"Wow," said Devin Adams after the event.
It showed him how dangerous drinking and driving can be. "It was a good learning experience," he said.
Also shown Friday at the school was a video depicting emergency-room scenes after DWI accidents, as well as parents' reactions.
Watching the video was licensed teaching assistant Heidi Armao, who has a son in ninth grade and a daughter in seventh grade.
"I wanted my kids to see it," she said, because it is something every parent worries about.
If it stops one student from making a dangerous decision, it's an important lesson, she said.
To close the session, Otsego County Stop-DWI Coordinator Karen Liddle told students that when making decisions, "I want you to remember this day."
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Mark Boshnack can be reached at 432-1000 or (800) 721-1000, ext. 218, or at mboshnack@thedailystar.com.
