Timberlake High School mock DUI crash drives home dangers of driving under the influence

SPIRIT LAKE — As Luke Schell was hauled on a gurney by Spirit Lake firefighters, students couldn't take their eyes away from the scene. 

Getting behind the wheel after drinking isn’t an action you can take back after a crash occurs, something first responders were hoping to convey through a mock DUI simulation at Timberlake High School on Wednesday.

The day began early, with senior Carlene Ross arriving at the Timberlake High School at 6:30 a.m. to begin her transformation. Fake blood and pieces of fake glass were applied to her skin as she prepared to play the deceased victim in a mock DUI crash.

Scattered around the tan GMC Yukon holding up Ross’s body, hard seltzer cans covered the ground, serving as a reminder to students about the dangers of driving under the influence. 

“It was kind of scary, honestly, even though I knew it was fake and it was just acting. Once it all happens and the cops and everybody is involved, it’s super nerve-wracking. We needed to make it as realistic as possible,” Ross said.

Firefighter Grayson Brooks said the experience serves as a good reminder for the students to not drink and drive.

“Especially for people about to graduate high school, something like a DUI is something that everybody knows happens but thinks, ‘Oh, it’s not going to happen to me,’” Brooks said.

Fellow firefighter Isaac Irving said he could feel the attention of the students as they watched the crash victims in the scenario.

Ross said the six students chosen as victims were all from different groups within the school so all of the students could feel the ripples a crash could leave in its wake.

For Ross, the rainy weather conditions added to the experience.

“It helped play into making the accident more realistic than if it had been a nice, sunny day,” she said.

Fatal crashes involving teen drivers tend to rise between Memorial and Labor days as the end of the school year approaches, according to the American Automobile Association.

Firefighter Tyler Ackerman said he hopes the lessons from the mock crash will turn into good decision-making in the future for the teens witnessing the scene play out.

“It’s really good for the kids to see this type of thing. It is pretty shocking,” Ackerman said.

    Tyler Ackerman of Spirit Lake Fire Protection District carries Luke Schell off in a gurney during a simulated DUI crash in Spirit Lake.
  

    Timberlake High School students watch with visible emotion as a mock DUI crash takes place and law enforcement and firefighters assess student victims and examine the scene of the crash.