Norwich High School’s juniors and seniors witnessed the aftermath of a horrific collision between a car and a motorcycle which left one of their classmates dead, four more fighting for their lives and another in police custody.
None of it, of course, was real. Rather it was part of a demonstration staged last week by Students Against Destructive Decisions with the help of the Norwich City Police and Fire Departments to remind students of the dangers of drinking and driving.
According to SADD Co-Advisor Tricia Della Porta, the mock crash is done every two years to coincide with prom and graduation.
“This situation will be very real,” Norwich Fire Chief Tracy Chawgo told the student audience, as a tarp was removed to reveal the carefully staged scene.
In the scenario, a motorcycle driven by Senior Jordan Dietrich had collided with a car driven by Senior Sam Distefano. Dietrich and his passenger, twelfth-grader Abby Dean, were thrown from the bike and sustained critical injuries. The car’s passengers, Junior Casey Edwards and Seniors Cara Frink and Karissa Hubbard, were all injured in the crash.
The cause of the accident became obvious when a staggering Distefano exited the car and tried in vain to get rid of a bag of empty beer cans.
As Chawgo had promised, the scene was as real to life as possible. The vehicles had been positioned based on an actual crash, the pavement strewn with broken glass and debris.
The victims themselves were covered in blood and gore, expertly applied by Teresa Monroe-Werner and Barbara Sabines of the Preston Emergency Squad. They, like many others involved with the exercise, had donated their time.
“Our theory is, if one person makes the right decision to not drink and drive, we’ve done something positive,” explained Monroe-Werner, who said she has had to respond all too often to accident scenes as a result of drunk driving.
Also realistic, was the unrehearsed response of Norwich’s emergency services. While they were aware there would be a mock crash, Chawgo said they were not briefed on the specifics.
“They use it for a training event; it’s very real for them,” Della Porta explained.
Students heard Chawgo make the call to 9-1-1 and listened intently for the approaching sirens while the fire chief detailed the injuries sustained by the victims of the crash.
Officers Tom Miller and Gard Turner from the Norwich City Police Department were the first to arrive on the scene, followed closely by firefighters and emergency service personnel from the Norwich Fire Department. The officers began securing the scene, while the emergency responders immediately worked to ascertain the extent of the victims’ injuries.
“Car crashes are the leading killer of 16-24 year olds,” Chawgo said, as medical personnel declared Dean dead at the scene. The young girl was covered with a sheet and moved from the scene and placed on the grass in front of her classmates to further bring the point home.
The faces of the juniors and seniors in the crowd, who had been joking and laughing as they sat down, were solemn as they watched the events unfold before them.
Within moments, Dietrich’s injuries were determined to be so serious that Guthrie Air was called to transport the teen via helicopter to the nearest trauma center. Firefighters worked to extricate the injured victims in the car, ultimately resorting to the jaws of life to remove Hubbard from the vehicle.
While this went on, Police Chief Joe Angelino and the officers on the scene questioned Distefano about the crash. After conducting a field sobriety test, they placed the senior in handcuffs and loaded him into one of the police vehicles on the scene.
They also took photos of the scene and began taking measurements.
“This is a crime scene,” Chawgo explained, as he continued to quote statistics about alcohol related accidents and fatalities.
“Do not drink and drive, and never, ever ride in a car with a drunk or buzzed driver. Just refuse,” Chawgo told students. “It’s that easy. SADD, the Norwich Fire Department and the Norwich Police Department want you to be safe.”
With prom this weekend, and graduation less than a month away, event organizers and school administrators hope seeing the demonstration will help students make the right decision when it comes to drinking and driving.
“Hopefully the kids pay attention,” said building Principal Dr. Bob Cleveland.
Della Porta and SADD Co-Advisor Kelly Colosi credited the Norwich Police and Fire Departments for their role in the simulation. Also helping to make the event possible were Andy’s Automotive, who donated the car, and Gary Cate, who provided the sound equipment for the presentation.