Students get graphic lesson in drunk driving

Casa Grande Road, right in front of Casa Grande High School, was transformed into a bloody mess of an accident scene on the afternoon of April 9 with broken glass and injured teens from a multiple-car crash.

Every 15 minutes, someone is killed as a result of an alcohol-related collision. Students from Casa Grande were on site to view the realistic carnage as part of the “Every 15 Minutes” program, which is designed to exemplify the risks and tragic consequences that come with driving under the influence.

The program simulates an accident scene at the high school, with students participating in the demonstration as witnesses, victims and offenders. Two students were killed at the scene, with another left paralyzed from the waist down. Students viewed the accident scene from the moment of its unveiling. They watched the Petaluma Police Department, EMTs, paramedics and the Petaluma Fire Department arrive on scene, who behaved like the accident was real - including cutting a victim out of a totaled car, placing a “dead” student in a body bag, and ultimately detaining the drunk driver.

The event on the first day happened smoothly, with only one bump in the road. When the Petaluma Fire Department ambulance arrived to take one of the severely injured students away, they had to leave without the student due to receiving an actual emergency call at a different location. A private ambulance company contacted by retired Petaluma police officer Matt Thomas shortly came to the rescue.

The Every 15 Minutes program has been present in Petaluma for at least a decade, shifting between the district’s high schools each year - St. Vincent de Paul, Petaluma and Casa Grande - to spread the message across town and across generations. The principal of Casa Grande High School, Linda Scheele, is familiar with the program and its lasting impact.

Scheele had apprehensions about how the program would emotionally affect students, so Casa Grande provided a space for students who did not want to view the accident scene that took place on day one or attend the mock funeral assembly in the for the “deceased” student on day two of the program.   

“I talked to a number of students because I have concerns any time we have an event where we are intentionally trying to bring up the emotions in people. I know there were some students who did not feel comfortable attending the first day, and there were some students who left the gym the second day, and didn’t feel comfortable [listening to the assembly]. Some of those students had personal stories that we wouldn’t have had any way of knowing in advance,” explained Scheele.

One of the Casa Grande students involved in the staged accident, Hannah Ingram, “died” in the hospital after being hit by a drunk driver coming to school in the morning after a raging party the previous night.

“It was an amazing experience. I never want to have to do that again. It was definitely life altering; as a teenager starting to drive, you hear stories about drinking and driving, and now that I’ve witnessed that personally, I never want anyone to have to go through that again,” said Ingram. Ingram described the monumental milestones she would miss, such as dancing with her father at her wedding; and simple moments, such as waking up the next morning that can so effortlessly be taken away. “The thought that all of those memories could be erased was terrifying,” noted Ingram.

Overall, the visit of the Every 15 Minutes program at Casa Grande left a permanent impression on the student body - the repercussions of impaired driving can last a lifetime, and how easy it is for an instantaneous accident to result in a catastrophe.

(Kate Hoover is an Argus-Courier intern and a student at Casa Grande High School)