Town and Country Newspaper

News Article

Every 30 Minutes

Written by Larry Roeder, Editor
2012-05-03

Students at Upper Perkiomen High School were witness to a very thought-provoking event this week. High school staff, volunteers and anyone else involved in staging the program are to be commended.

The event, titled “Every 30 Minutes,” was a well-produced and well-presented enactment of a fatal traffic accident caused by a drunk driver and its aftermath.

On Tuesday students were brought into the front courtyard of the school to the scene of a two-car crash. There they saw six of their classmates presented in the grim portrayals as victims of the crash. One of them was frantically going from door to door on one of the vehicles screaming for her friends still inside the car to get out. When one did emerge from the back of the car, a cooler and empty beer cans preceded him.

Students sat or stood in silence as the wailing sirens of police, ambulance and fire/rescue units emerged on the scene in full response mode. The trained rescuers performed admirably as they removed victims from the vehicles, performing with the same expertise they display on the real thing.

The uninjured driver of the striking vehicle was rousted from behind the wheel and taken from the scene by the state trooper to allow rescuers and emergency medical personnel to do their jobs. As they made their way, an empty beer can fell out of the driver’s pocket. A field sobriety test was given and, after he failed, he was cuffed and placed in the back seat of police car.

As each victim was extricated, they were quickly treated and transported – that is all except two. They were designated fatalities and the only transportation they required was in the hearse from a local funeral home and a vehicle from the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office – both were on hand for the portrayal as well as a Montgomery County Detective who took over the “crime scene.”

After the drill the students returned to their classrooms but the program was far from over. For the rest of the school day, every 30 minutes a student was removed from a classroom – a reminder that every 30 minutes someone is killed by a drunk driver.

On Wednesday the program continued with an assembly for the students in the school’s gym. A video presentation was given showing the onset of the accident, displaying the attitudes and ignorance that led to the crash.

Students relived the rescue and the immediate aftermath of the crash. Then they were introduced to things you just can’t witness in a classroom: the trip to the state police barracks and the arrest of their classmate; the feverish and intense battle by the hospital’s emergency staff to save the lives of their friends; a special news account on an area television station reporting that a third youth had “died” at the hospital; and most importantly, the pain and sorrow of parents and friends. In this gymnasium full of high-school students, you could hear a pin drop.

As the school year comes to an end and proms, school dances and other activities reach a high, it is important for students to put this lesson, provided by educators, volunteers and other professionals, firmly in their minds for their own sake and keep it close to their hearts for their families’ and friends’ sake.

Think safe, be safe and stay safe.

Well done Upper Perk!

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