By TONY GUERRERO
Hays Post
VICTORIA—Sirens echoed and a helicopter landed as Victoria High School students witnessed how one bad decision can turn deadly during a mock crash on Friday.
A mock accident is designed to show the real-life consequences of drunken driving, not wearing a seat belt and other risky behaviors by portraying graphic scenes.
Kami Weber, a Students Against Destructive Decisions sponsor, organized the event with help from agencies in Victoria and Ellis County. Student role players and their parents participated in the simulation, which depicted a fatal crash and emergency response.
The demonstration was on the northeast side of the school, where first responders treated injured “victims,” using makeup to portray trauma. Firefighters and EMS worked to stabilize patients while law enforcement secured the scene as parents rushed in, searching for their children.
One student, portraying a critically injured victim, was airlifted by an EagleMed helicopter. However, another victim was unresponsive, with firefighters struggling to extract her from the vehicle.
Beer cans were scattered across the scene to depict a drunken-driving crash as the unresponsive victim, not wearing a seat belt, was zipped into a body bag and placed in a hearse.
"We do this about every four years," Weber said. "With prom being [the next day], we wanted it to set in a little bit more to think about their choices that you do this weekend."
After the simulation, students and responders gathered in the gym for a debrief. Officials emphasized calling 911 first in emergencies, being honest with responders and avoiding dangerous situations.
Firefighters, EMS and law enforcement outlined their response procedures for vehicle crashes. Ellis County Sheriff Scott Braun said officers are often first on scene and urged students to always wear seat belts.
Role players in the simulation portrayed a range of injuries, with those not wearing seat belts suffering the most severe or fatal outcomes.
"There is nothing worse in my entire job than having to go notify a parent and tell them that their kid is dead," Braun said. "Make good decisions."
Victoria USD 432 announced in a Facebook post before the demonstration that it was not an emergency and encouraged parents to continue discussing the dangers of impaired and distracted driving with students.
