|
A minivan was lifted on a crane to a
height of hundreds of feet and then dropped onto a small car below.
The height was calculated to replicate an accident at normal rates
of speed. The sound of the crash was tremendous, and both vehicles
were completely smashed. A small infant car seat flew out of the
minivan and flipped upside down onto the pavement. Any passengers in
either vehicle would have been dead on impact. A roar erupted from
the crowd of onlookers when the van dropped to the pavement.
In a second staged crash scene, two
average-size cars were crashed head-on, the way most regular
accidents happen. Lifelike dummies were arranged in the cars, so it
looked eerily like a real crash, complete with dead bodies. Beer
bottles were thrown on the ground, as if they had flown from the
vehicles with the debris. When it was announced that a baby was in
one of the vehicles, a collective gasp rose from the crowd of young
people.
Firemen and police were in full gear
and reacted to the mock crash with the same urgency and
professionalism as if it had been the real thing.
Coroner Chuck Fricke and other speakers
were on hand to discuss the dangers of drinking and driving and to
demonstrate safety issues such as proper installation of child
safety seats. They also discussed the effects of alcohol on a
person's abilities and perceptions. Students witnessed firsthand the
horrors of a severe car crash, and speakers stressed that alcohol is
a contributing factor in too many such accidents.
[to top of second column in
this article]
 |
Students from Hartsburg-Emden and
Lincoln Community High were present to witness the crash scenes and
to observe paramedics, police and firemen working to extricate the
victims, determine the cause and arrest the drunken driver.
The event was co-sponsored by Lincoln
Police Chief Richard Montcalm and the local Alcohol, Tobacco and
Other Drugs Task Force coordinator, Kristi Lessen. The simulation
was open to the public. Unfortunately, not many citizens were at the
center for the event.
After many deaths of area residents
from alcohol-related car accidents, officials are hoping to raise
awareness in the community, especially among the teenage population,
of the dangers present and how to guard yourselves and your loved
ones from being victims.
It is hoped
that this type of demonstration will make a lasting impression on
our young drivers and save countless lives in the future.
[Ruth Halpin] |
