SADD Demonstrates Fatal Drunk Driving Scenario

To help SADD spread the word about impaired driving, we have made this a non-monetized article. If you haven't subscribed to The Washington County Times already, and would like to support local journalism for less than the price of a cup of coffee a month, click here!

On Monday, April 7 at 1:00 PM, emergency responders, in partnership with SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions), gathered together at West Washington Jr-Sr High School to provide a detailed demonstration on the consequences of impaired driving.

Abbi Ferguson

Congregated in the parking lot, juniors and seniors from West Washington were met by Captain Joe Keltner and the Washington County (WC) Sheriff’s Department alongside West Washington Student Resource Officer Aaron Dennis, WC Ambulance Service, WC Coroner’s Office, West Washington drama students, Air Evac Lifeteam 17, Salem Wrecker Service, Dawalt Funeral Home, and Livonia and Posey Volunteer Fire Departments.

The presentation began with Captain Keltner describing a tragic scene that is unfortunately not uncommon. The story followed a teenager named Alex, played by Daniel Miner, on prom night.

Alex, like many students after prom, was invited to an after-party at a friend’s house. The idea was simply to just hang out and have a good time. However, it was not long before alcohol made an appearance. After some time, Alex was reluctantly convinced by his peers to have some drinks, all while knowing he still had to drive home that night and pick his sister up along the way.

Alex was noticeably impaired on the way home, and the drive ended in a horrific head-on collision with another vehicle that resulted in his sister getting ejected through the windshield, killing her.

Once Captain Keltner had set the scene, tarps were removed that had previously been covering the two wrecked vehicles provided by Salem Wrecker Service. It was then revealed that West Washington drama students were inside the cars ready to act out the scenario.

“Officer Dennis asked me about a month ago if I had any students that would be interested in participating,” said Kayla Seybold, West Washington drama teacher. “However, we really started preparing for this last Wednesday. The students met with Darren Byler, and he gave us the backstory for the accident.”

Seybold went on to share that the very same West Washington students will be performing “The Little Mermaid” this weekend at the school. Showtimes are April 11 and 12 at 7:30 PM and April 13 at 3:00 PM.

“In the beginning, sitting in the car with my friends, we were really nervous,” said Elle Strother, West Washington actor. “But when it got started, we all sort of got into our parts. When they started to cut the roof off, I was thinking it was going to be worse. It was all very eye-opening for me, and I hope my classmates understand the dangers of drinking and driving.”

West Washington drama students that participated in the presentation included:

• Elle Strother

• Abbi Ferguson

• Daniel Miner

• Avan Ewing

• Emma Meredith

• Lacy Webb

• Paige Wofford

• Axl McKillip

• Izzy Guthrie

Once the scenario had been set, emergency responders began to go to work.

Everything began with distant sirens from down the street as fire trucks, police vehicles and EMS began to come into view around the corner of the school. Upon arrival, EMS assessed the patient that had been ejected and pronounced her deceased, and the fire rescue team began to do what is called “cribbing" the vehicle. This is a process that involves placing blocks under and around the vehicle at certain points in order to stabilize it.

“What this does is stabilize the vehicle and keep it from rocking,” said Captain Keltner. “They’re already hurt, so the less movement you have regarding the patient, the better off they are.”

“When we start hitting it with tools and start cutting, things can start to move around,” added Darren Byler, Livonia/Posey volunteer firefighter and SADD presentation organizer. “For instance, a tire could blow out and make the vehicle drop a few inches, which would not be good at all for the patient.”

Another safeguard for the patient in terms of movement is a method referred to as holding the C spine or cervical spine. In a scenario such as this, a firefighter will climb inside the car with the patient and hold their neck so that they do not move around and further injure the spine.

The next step in the particular scene presented at West Washington was to begin preparing for what is called a “flap-back relief cut.” Here, firefighters began to cut out the windshield and windows, remove the doors, and cut the door posts in order to peel the roof of the car backward for ease of access while removing patients from the vehicle.

All the while the fire rescue teams were working to secure the injured patients, deputies from the sheriff’s department had their own job to do.

Deputy Haliee Lopotosky was on the scene confronting Alex, the impaired driver, who had wandered a short distance from the site by that time. What began with a conversation quickly turned into a field sobriety test once it was determined that alcohol may have been a factor. Upon failing numerous tests, Alex was put in handcuffs and escorted to a squad car to be taken away.

Further patient assessment revealed the need to transport two of the patients for medical attention: one by ambulance and the other by helicopter due to more serious injuries, and both were placed in cervical collars to restrict neck movement. Finally, the deceased young lady was placed in a body bag and taken away by Washington County Coroner Shawnda Keltner.

Students at West Washington Jr-Sr High School were shown every gruesome detail that goes into responding to a real-life tragic scene similar to the one presented on Monday, and they were shown the seriousness of impaired driving as well as the consequences that often come of it. The students appeared to be very receptive and attentive during the presentation, and Darren Byler, firefighter and organizer, was very pleased with how everything went.

“For as many entities as we had involved, I feel as though everything went incredibly smoothly,” commented Darren. “I believe in total we had six to eight different entities (WC Sheriff’s Department, Posey Volunteer Fire, etc.), and everybody put their best foot forward, and I’m just really happy with how it went.

“One thing I noticed is that as I was walking up to the scene, no one noticed me,” continued Darren. “Everyone was focused on the speaker and what was going on in front of them. They really seemed to be keyed in to what was going on, so I really felt good about everything. There were certainly a lot of hours put into this, and it was great to see the end result.”

Upon reentering the school, students were greeted with a harsh reality: a casket, provided by Dawalt Funeral Home, was waiting for them with a mirror placed inside to reflect their own faces at them – a chilling reminder to the students that one bad decision could be the end of their life. While standing at the casket, I spoke briefly with Kylee Koerber from Dawalt Funeral Home about how they actually place deceased individuals in a casket.

“We have a lift, and it’s up in the ceiling,” said Kylee. “It has six dropdown hooks that go under the ankles, the thighs, mid-back, shoulders and neck. When we push the up button, the lift brings them up, and we are then able to slide them over and lower them into the casket.”

According to a study conducted by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, impaired driving (driving while impaired with alcohol, drugs, or both) accounts for nearly 55% of car wrecks. This is a sad statistic that is easily preventable. It is always important to be smart and responsible, but that importance is even further elevated when deciding to get behind the wheel.

Prosecutor Tara Coats Hunt

“No one gets behind the wheel thinking they are unable to operate a vehicle,” said Prosecutor Tara Coats Hunt. “They think, ‘oh, I’m just a few miles from home’ or ‘I’m going to miss my curfew.’ I can tell you in my experience as a prosecutor: it’s simply not worth it.”

The powerful demonstration at West Washington Jr-Sr High School served as more than just a presentation – it was a sobering experience designed to leave a lasting impact on the students who watched it unfold. Through the combined efforts of emergency responders, drama students, and the community, the consequences of impaired driving were brought to life in a way that no lecture or statistic ever could.

Video by Jacob Dufour, Publisher:

To help SADD spread the word about impaired driving, we have made this a non-monetized article. If you haven't subscribed to The Washington County Times already, and would like to support local journalism for less than the price of a cup of coffee a month, click here!