Lessons for the road

Amid the wail of police and ambulance sirens, paramedics, law enforcement officers and students swarmed around a mock crash scene on the Nevada Union High School field Thursday.

A dark green Nissan mini van with a cracked and blood-smeared windshield and a maroon Honda Accord with smashed windows stood on the race tracks, as though they'd crashed.

Paramedics were assisting two men on stretchers, while a young girl was being arrested for drunken driving. Another teenager lay on her face on the hood of the Honda, as though she'd broken through the windshield during the accident. A dark trickle of blood dripped from her pale outstretched arm.

California Highway Patrol put together the mock accident to show juniors and seniors the outcome of drunken driving and not wearing seatbelts. The event, called "Every 15 minutes," reminded them that drunken driving claims a life somewhere in the U.S. every 15 minutes.

A mock funeral will take place today at the NU gym for the "victims" of Thursday's accident.

"I never want to see anyone drink and drive," said 17-year-old Erik Andersen, a student volunteer at the scene. "What happens afterwards is tragic."

Others agreed.

"The value (of the event) is that it shows a real example of what could happen. It's not just words, it's visual," said Drew Ruggiero, 18, another volunteer.

"One of my close family members was involved in a drunken driving crash," Ruggiero added. "He wasn't seriously injured but he came really close to hitting a tree."

The graphic accident was paired with alarming statistics.

"In Nevada County and parts of Sierra County, we have 25 to 30 severe incidents (involving drunken driving) every year," said Mike Lawrence, a sergeant with the California Highway Patrol.

Accidents caused by drunk drivers happen more frequently during graduation time, Lawrence added.

The mock accident Thursday didn't end at NU.

A team of 20 students followed the "victims" and the arrested driver to the hospital, the morgue and the jail, where they filmed what would actually happen after a real accident, Ruggiero said. They also accompanied law enforcement officers to the homes of parents to notify them about the accident, Ruggiero added.

"We will stay overnight at school to edit the video footage so we have a DVD ready for the funeral," Ruggiero said.

The detailed manner of the mock event impacts the most seasoned educators, not to mention students.

"It's very emotional for all the staff," said Sven Ostrom, vice principal at NU. "We are deciding who would attend the funeral. No one wants to do it. It's too hard, perhaps because we've all had to attend the real thing sometime in our career."

To contact Soumitro Sen, e-mail ssen@theunion.com or call 477-4229.