Mock accidents makes impression on Illinois High School Seniors
EDHS senior Chance Oster took a few minutes to chat before being killed in a car accident. "I mean it's a big thing," Oster said. "Acting this out, me being the dead one, it shows that me being dead might change some people's minds and make different choices."
A mock accident was preformed at the EDHS parking lot last Friday afternoon, one day before the school's prom.
It was the school's eighth performance of the mock accident since 1996, and it tends to turn some heads just one day before dolling up for prom. "We just look to impress upon young people what could happen if they make a poor choice and choose to drink and drive," said EDHS Principal Greg Herbst.
"We'd be naive if we didn't think it happened, and we'd be irresponsible if we didn't try and show them some of the negative things that can happen with those poor choices.
"It's a biannual event, we do it on even years, and this is my third one. It's quite a cooperative effort. East Dubuque Fire Department; Menominee-Dunleith Fire Department; East Dubuque Police Department; Paramount EMS; Galena EMS; we've had people from Rockford Hospital here; Bill Miller lets us use one of his caskets to make it as realistic as possible. If we can change the actions or decisions of just one student, than it's worth it."
Seniors Amy Tressel, Keith Hayes, Christin Selle and Oster were cast as the two couples on their way to prom, when the head-on collision occurs. Selle and Tressel were carted off in an ambulance, Hayes was taken away in a police cruiser (the one who had been drinking), and Oster, to the emotional spark of many students watching, was carried off under a white sheet, dead on arrival.
"I know numerous students in our school already that don't really think about it when they drink and they drive," said Selle. "I hope it will have a great impact on them and hopefully make them change their minds. Once they see Chance dead, we only hope they will make changes."
The clouds that hovered above and trickling down rain only presented a darker feel to the events being acted out. "I think our school is lucky, we haven't had any casualties like other schools have, so hopefully this will put it in peoples minds and everything will be ok here," Tressel said.
The events concluded with a casket being placed in the school's gymnasium dedicated to Chance, followed by tearful speeches from some of the participants. "I teared up," said Hayes. "Chance is my best friend, and fake killing him is hard enough, I don't even want to think about the real thing. "It's a good thing (that students got emotional), we were trying to get to them and we did. We did our job."
The students were left with something a little sweet and sour - sweet in the form of a chocolate candy bar; sour in the alarming statistics it came specially wrapped in - between 2004-2007, 576 Illinois teen crash fatalities have occurred, and every 22 minutes a person dies in an alcohol related accident.
"Our main goal is to hit everybody at home with what would happen if there is a drunk driver, or there is a fatality incident," said Manny Alvarado, EMS coordinator for East Dubuque. "The emotion that is put into it really makes an impact on the students. I get a lot of feedback, how kids are changing themselves, and it makes us realize that we're doing a good thing."
