Mt. Pulaski High School students to witness vehicle crash reenactment this Friday
ThinkFirst, an injury prevention program, focuses on the consequences of impaired driving

 

[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.

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.”

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 [e-mail].

[Heather Fricke
Principal, Mount Pulaski High School]