By Shaun Szkolnik, for the Tribune
Pinson Valley – Pinson Valley High School students were given a sobering lesson in the dangers of motor vehicle accidents on Tuesday, April 17. The lesson came in advance of PVHS’s prom on Friday night.
Students were assembled in the stadium and watched as a mock wreck, staged on the track in front of the football field, was unveiled and a disembodied voice began to recount the situation. The scenario was typical of one that could happen on any prom night anywhere in America. Two cars leave a party. The drivers have had too much to drink. Carelessness and a lack of sobriety lead to an accident. The results are catastrophic.
To add a sense of reality and gravity to the scene, actual first responders from the Palmerdale Fire District and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office arrived on scene with sirens blaring and lights flashing. The rescue workers took to the wreck as if it were the real thing. The jaws of life were employed to grant access to the vehicles as the first responders removed the occupants. The disembodied voice narrated the injuries of each in chilling detail. The severity of injuries ran the spectrum. The student wearing the seatbelt had the least; the other students involved the mock accident fared worse. One mock injured student had to be airlifted away from the scene by a helicopter that flew in for the demonstration. The final student to be removed was determined to be dead. She was placed into a body-bag. As the bag was zipped up and the student was put into a hearse, the disembodied voice changed to that of the dead student.
After the event, the students were addressed by Jefferson County Sheriff Mark Pettway.
“I’ve been all over the county with this dramatization making sure that when you go out on prom night that you are safe,” said Pettway. “I don’t want to have any of my deputies go and report to your parents that something has happened to you on prom night. Just think if it was you or your parents that received that bad news about your friend, your sister, your brother or someone that you know that ended up in a situation like this. You don’t want that to happen. You don’t want to receive that news. Also, we want to make sure that if you see someone, or you know someone that has been drinking, make sure that they do not get behind the wheel and that you do not get in that car with them.”
Pettway also touched on other causes that can lead to devastating motor vehicle accidents.
“Be responsible and help your friends,” said Pettway. “Make sure that you make the right decision and that they make the right decision on prom night. It’s just not drinking, but also smoking and distracted driving by using devices such as your cell phone or your iPad. Make sure that you’re not doing any of that on prom night.”
The event was put on by HOSA (Health Occupation Students of America) Future Health Professionals, which is a student-led organization.
“Two years ago, I had a brother die due to drunk driving,” said HOSA student-president Hayley Davlin. “That is why I was really excited to do it. So, I’ve been impacted by it.”
Davlin participated in the enactment by posing as one of the students injured in the mock accident.
HOSA Future Health Professionals member and PVHS student Paola Patino also participated in the event by posing as one of the injured students.
“To me, I have friends and siblings that drive,” said Patino. “Often I see that they do consider wanting to drink. I hope seeing us this way makes them want to not make that decision.”
HOSA Future Health Professionals is sponsored and guided by two health professionals that also teach at Pinson Valley High School. Jamie Mizerany and Stephanie Graham give their considerable knowledge to students at PVHS that are interested in a career in health science. They were also instrumental in developing, coordinating and staging the mock accident.
The event would not have been possible without a generous donation of time, talent and resources from the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office and the Palmerdale Fire District. If the event saves even one life, prevents even one injury or stops even one accident, it would be well worth it to them.
“The biggest thing is to show them as realistically as possible what could happen if they were to get out on prom night…and they’re under the influence of drugs, alcohol, distracted driving, and what could happen,” said Captain Jonathan Garner of the Palermdale Fire District. “If you were to get out and do something like drink, don’t drive. Call a friend that’s not drinking, call a parent…call one of your friends’ parents. Call someone to pick you up instead of driving under the influence.”