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Fatal DUI simulation an eye opener for students |
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May 4, 2016 |
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Photos by Mike Weland
Story by Michael Meier
Boundary County Public Information
This morning Boundary County law enforcement and
schools presented a graphic crash
simulation to the students of Bonners Ferry High
Schools, and the entire program had
been cloaked in secrecy so as to not alert
students, rendering it even more realistic.
The simulation included two crashed vehicles,
four students injured, one killed students, an
arrest for driving
under the influence and a visit by the Boundary
County Coroner.
The simulation was played out by students who
have been sworn to secrecy about the event. The
role players had been locked up prior to
the event without cell phones and roomed at the
Kootenai River Inn, with supervisors in both the
men's and lady's rooms for security.
The simulation featured two really destroyed
vehicles, showing what driving under the
influence and distracted driving can lead to.
The entire simulation was very real, with makeup
for all the role players. Law enforcement from
the Idaho State Police, Boundary County
Sheriff’s Office and the City of Bonners Ferry
responded as if this were an actual crash
event. It was so realistic, students watched,
hushed, some with tears in their eyes.
Story continues below
City fire, ambulance, air evacuation via Life
Flight and the County hearse will add to the
realism of the simulation. No effort is being
spared to make this as real as possible to
educate the students as what not to do.
After viewing the crash scenario students assembled for a program that included
speeches by high school
principal Kevin Dinning, Jamielyn Rupe, who
spoke on driving under the influence, Idaho
State Police Trooper Allen Ashby, and Wayne and
Wanda Wilkerson, the parents of Josh Wilkerson,
who died August 20, 2013, in a crash on Highway
95 at Mountain Meadows Road, who spoke on
distracted driving.
A question and a discussion session after the
speakers covered lessons learned was held for
the students and the students were allowed to
to vent their feelings.
The opportunity for our youth to witness this
event is timely as summer will be here soon,
bringing more student driving and time away from
school.
Thanks go out to the following agencies for
their participation: Bonners Ferry High School,
Bonners Ferry Fire, Boundary Volunteer
Ambulance, Bonners Ferry Funeral Home, Life
Flight LLC, Boundary County Sheriff’s Office,
Bonners Ferry Police Department, South Boundary
Fire, Idaho State Police, Boundary County
Emergency Management and Panhandle Towing.
This event is life learning for all our youth
and may be done annually. |
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Idaho State Police Sergeant Allen Ashby,
himself a graduate of Bonners Ferry High School,
responded to conduct the accident investigation
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... as a LifeFlight helicopter landed in a
cloud of dust. |
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Local medics and fire fighters assisted the
LifeFlight crew in loading the most critical
"patients," and so realistic was the training (it
wasn't merely a show for and by students), the
"injured" students were taken by ground and air
to Boundary Community Hospital, where only key
personnel knew of the exercise beforehand. |
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And, as is all too often the case in actual
DUI incidents, the driver walks away relatively
unscathed, only to have to live each day hence
with the costs; jail or prison, fines and other
penalties, plus waking up each and every day
thereafter with the memories of the friends you
killed and injured on just another outing to
have a good time. |
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That friend won't remember the last leg of
his last ride with the county coroner, but his
family, his friends, his classmates, will live
with the painful memory of how senselessly he or
she died, never having had the chance to grow up
to live their promise and potential. |
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