Mt. Pulaski High School students to
witness vehicle crash reenactment this Friday
ThinkFirst, an injury prevention program,
focuses on the consequences of impaired driving
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[May 03, 2023]
Mt. Pulaski High School students will
experience a crash reenactment at 8:30 a.m. at Mt. Pulaski High
School, 206 S. Spring St., Mt. Pulaski, IL 62548. ThinkFirst, an
injury prevention program offered by Southern Illinois University
School of Medicine in Springfield, will assist in planning and
presenting the event.
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The
reenactment will focus on what can happen when young drivers drink
and drive or ride with distracted or impaired drivers. On the day of
the event, sights and sounds associated with an emergency response
are to be expected.
At the event, emergency personnel normally summoned after a car
crash will simulate their tasks. Those involved in planning and
implementing the event include the retired Logan County Coroner
Chuck Fricke, Fricke-Calvert-Schrader Funeral Home in Mt. Pulaski,
Logan County Sheriff’s Office, Mt. Pulaski Police and Fire
Departments, RBC Towing in Lincoln, Susie & Josh Gasparini with
911 Dispatch, AudioTechni Services in Springfield, Mt. Pulaski High
School faculty, administration, & students, Illinois Chiefs of
Police and SIU School of Medicine’s ThinkFirst program. Guest
speakers for the event are retired Logan County Coroner Chuck Fricke
and ThinkFirst victim speaker Danny Hicks.
“The purpose of the crash reenactment program is to
show the real-life consequences of risk-taking behaviors,” says
Megan Eairheart, Director of ThinkFirst. “This event illustrates
what can happen when a bad decision is made. We want students to be
informed and make intelligent decisions, particularly behind the
wheel of a car.”
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Each year 1.7 million traumatic
brain injuries and 12,000 to 20,000 new spinal cord injuries
occur in the United States; one-third happen to people between
the ages of 15 and 24. “The tragedy is most of these injuries
are preventable,” says Eairheart.
The SIU School of Medicine ThinkFirst program is a
chapter of the ThinkFirst National Injury Prevention Foundation and
presents events as a public service at no cost to schools. An
Illinois Department of Transportation grant supports the program.
Those interested in learning more are invited to contact Eairheart
at SIU School of Medicine, P.O. Box 19679, Springfield, IL
62794-9604, 217-545-9112 or e-mail thinkfirst@siumed.edu.
[Heather Fricke
Principal, Mount Pulaski High School]
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