On the morning on Wednesday, April 29, the senior class at East Syracuse Minoa High School were brought to the parking lot to witness a very gruesome but realistic scene — the scene of an accident caused by a student who chose to drink and drive.
While this scene was not real, students sat in silence as they watched their classmates reenact a scene of what a car accident caused by a drunk driver after a high school dance would look like.
Ian Hohm, Jamie Regan, Carly Baggett, Kelsey Hall, Zach Worden and Reiley Slmone, students from the ESM drama department, were actors in this scene. Realistic makeup to show injuries was done with the help of the school’s cosmetology students.
The scene was narrated by Onondaga County Assistant District Attorney Christopher Bednardski. Crews from the Manlius Police Department, East Syracuse Fire, Minoa Fire, Kirkville Fire and EAVES Ambulance were there to help play out what would happen if they were to have gotten called to an accident like this.
“I’ve seen too many young people’s lives ruined by the decision to drink and drive,” Bednardski said. “If you kill or injure another person, that is something that will stay with you for the rest of your life.”
A representative from the County Medical Examiner’s office acted out how he would investigate possible deaths of victims in the accident.
The drunk driver who caused the accident, played by Worden, was given a sobriety test by a Manlius Police officer. After it was determined the driver was intoxicated, he was arrested and Minoa Judge Janet Stanley helped act out what a typical arraignment and sentencing for him would be.
“In the future, you’ll be faced with making a decision like this one,” Stanley said addressing the students. “I suggest to young people to take 10 seconds to think it through first. And after those 10 seconds are up, you’re likely to change the decision.”
The scene was realistic and made an impact on many of the students in attendance. Throughout the course of the day at school, 50 students volunteered to be “ghosted,” which meant wearing white face paint and a white T-shirt and not speaking to their classmates during the day. Those 50 students represent the many young lives lost each year by drunk driving accidents.
“I’m very emotional, so I was close to tears at some points. I have been to some parties and I’ve already made the decision not to drink,” said Naomi Figurola, a senior in attendance at the event. “But I think this helps us realize that the decisions we make can be life-changing in an instance and sometimes we’re selfish when we make these decisions.”
This mock DWI crash was performed to prepare students for the choices they may have to make in the upcoming months for the senior ball and other graduation activities. It was started three years ago by ESM teaching assistant Amy Mayers, who had been hit head-on by a drunk driver.
Hayleigh Gowans is a reporter for the Eagle Bulletin. She can be reached at [email protected].
