FADD Team Reminds Graduating Teens to Make Good Choices

SOUTH COUNTY SAFE RIDES: 1.800.273.7433 (Free and Anonymous Safe Rides Home for South County High School Teens. Open Until 1:15 a.m. Don’t Take a Risk, Be Safe.)(Facebook: South County Safe Rides)

(Mission Viejo, CA) – If science has proven peers increase adolescent risk taking by enhancing activity in the brain’s reward circuitry, it makes sense to educate teens as a group on the dangers of drinking and driving with FADD Friends Against Drinking and Driving’s Mock DUI Crash right on high school campuses where students learn from the five senses (sight, sound, smell, taste and touch) why choices matter, and why the leading cause of death for their age group (aged 12-19 years) in the United States from 1999-2006 was unintentional injury(48%) by a motor vehicle traffic accident (73%), when looking at the percent distribution of unintentional injury deaths by detailed mechanism of injury according to the National Vital Statistics System, Mortality.

“The FADD Mock DUI Crashes are a reenactment of an actual crash that occurred right here in the Saddleback Valley in the late 1980s,” non-profit FADD Founder and Orange County Fire Authority Captain/Paramedic Steve Concialdi said. “In this accident, there were teenagers going to a formal dance, they were drinking, they only had a few miles to go and they got into a serious accident where three people were killed, five of them were seriously injured and the drunk driver was arrested. We have recreated that scene in these Mock DUI Crashes. We did the first one at Santa Margarita Catholic High School in May of 1991.”

“Even if we only save one life, it’s worth it,” Concialdi said.

FADD’S 2018 MOCK DUI CRASH SEASON: NO INCIDENTS AT SCHOOLS HOSTING FADD DURING PROM, SPRING BREAK

FADD presented its’ 108th Mock DUI Crash May 16th at Capistrano Valley High School in Mission Viejo just prior to the school’s ASB sponsored prom themed “Tuscan Dream” held May 19th at The Majestic Downtown, a historically preserved building in Los Angeles protected by the National Register of Historic Places that has been an iconic filming location and venue since 1924.

FADD’s 2018 season included five total Mock DUI Crashes at schools in the Saddleback Valley Unified School District and Capistrano Valley Unified School District. The first FADD Mock DUI Crash took place spring 1991 at Santa Margarita Catholic High School in Rancho Santa Margarita. The Orange County non-profit founded by a 19-year old OC firefighter celebrated a special milestone last spring with its 100th Mock DUI Crash back at SMCHS. This spring the following schools hosted FADD Mock DUI Crashes 104 thru 108:

1. 104th FADD Mock DUI Crash, March 19th, El Toro High School, Lake Forest; Saddleback Valley Unified School District
https://drive.google.com/file/d/19ph24opQ4-xko_eopkbpmGV-CobToGnQ/view

2. 105th FADD Mock DUI Crash (Every 15 Minutes), March 27th, San Juan Hills High School, San Juan Capistrano; Capistrano Unified School District
https://youtu.be/CuCRX2Dkqjc

3. 106th FADD Mock DUI Crash, April 11th, Mission Viejo High School, Mission Viejo,
Saddleback Valley Unified School District
http://fadd-ca.org/index.php/videos-cat/130-mission-viejo-high-school-april-11-2018

4. 107th FADD Mock DUI Crash, April 30th (Every 15 Minutes), Laguna Hills High School, Laguna Hills, Saddleback Valley Unified School District
https://www.flickr.com/gp/ocfa_pio/cF71Hk


5. 108th FADD Mock DUI Crash, May 16th, Capistrano Valley High School, Mission Viejo,
Capistrano Unified School District
http://fadd-ca.org/index.php/videos-cat/136-capostrano-valley-high-school-may-16-2018

Concialdi was proud that there were no traffic related incidents involving any of the high schools his FADD team presented at this season; however, he’s not satisfied. As the proud father of a graduating senior, he knows the next two weeks are another critical time for teens to make good choices.



FOUNDER OF OC’S MOCK DUI CRASH REMINDS PARENTS TO TALK WITH THEIR GRADUATING SENIORS, TEENS ABOUT “CHOICES” WHEN IT COMES TO DRINKING AND DRIVING OVER NEXT TWO WEEKS, SUMMER; REACH, NOT PREACH, CONCIALDI SAYS

When he was 17-years old Concialdi delivered his Mater Dei High School senior project slide show on the dangers of drinking and driving. The slide show eventually led to Orange County’s first-ever Mock DUI Crash – an unprecedentedteaching tool at the time credited to Concialdi and his FADD team for a concept he perfected, coined and unveiled in Spring 1991 at Santa Margarita Catholic High School in Rancho Santa Margarita.

Last year, the American Red Cross Orange County chapter celebrated “A Century of Service” in Orange County and honored 11 recipients during its’ 2017 Heroes Luncheon held May 3, 2017 at the Hotel Irvine in Irvine. Concialdi was honored with the Chapter’s first ever “Lifetime Contribution Award” for his work with FADD and the impact the FADD Mock DUI Crash has had on countless teens across Orange County over the past 27 years.

“The American Red Cross is proud to honor OCFA Captain/Paramedic Steve Concialdi with the Lifetime Achievement Award for his selfless dedication to serving others and his commitment to creating safe and strong communities,” the American Red Cross said.

THE PEOPLE WHO ARE CRAZY ENOUGH TO THINK THEY CAN CHANGE THE WORLD ARE THE ONES WHO DO. – STEVE JOBS

Concialdi graduated from Mater Dei in 1988 and set to work on becoming a firefighter. That slide show project of his not only earned him an “A” from Mater Dei, but remained impactful enough that he was asked to bring it to other schools during the prom/graduation season each spring.

“I took the presentation around to campuses myself,” Concialdi said, who was nearly the same age as students he was presenting to. Yet, while the age difference was negligible, the life experience he was gaining as a young firefighter was the fuel he needed to get the message out. Concialdi borrowed projector carts from the front office and manually took his Nikon slide projector and fader back and forth from the visiting school’s auditorium and his car in the school parking lot.

Concialdi grew up in Mission Viejo and his Mom Bonnie Concialdi saw early signs that her young son had a gift of connecting with others.

“Our son Steve is our first-born son. He was a loving and caring child. Full of energy. Full of fun. He drove his first fire engine at three, and could not only make the siren sounds, but the radio calls as well,” said Bonnie. “Emergency! was his favorite TV show and he rescued his stuffed animals, treated them with expert care and “responded” to accidents with his hot wheel cars and “husky dude” toys.”

His Dad Vince Concialdi is at nearly all of his son’s FADD Mock DUI Crash presentations helping to take photos. Vince said the proximity between the students watching and their fellow students acting in the FADD Mock DUI Crash plays on the emotions for all of the students.

“It is personal for these kids when it gets that close to them,” Vince said after the FADD Mock DUI Crash this year at San Juan Hills High School. “These are their friends.”

Nowadays, Concialdi is at FADD events in his OCFA Captain’s uniform; however, back in the day, he dressed in a suit (minus the jacket) with nice black shoes, a blue or white shirt and always had on a tie. “I tried to look nice.”

“I was young and saw some horrific accidents involving DUIs, some involving teenagers,” Concialdi said. “I remember one in Mission Viejo where the male teenage driver was sitting on the curb, talking with the CHP, and he had his hands over his face – and he knew he screwed up because of his drinking and how he severely injured a family that he just rear ended.”

“I was around his same age…but he was going to jail,” Concialdi said. A former baseball player, he recalled a phrase they used in the sport amongst teammates to describe a situation. “I just remember thinking to myself, I wish I could bring the “field to my friends.”

It was a pivotal moment back in the fall of 1990 after Concialdi gave his now growing in magnitude slide presentation at Santa Margarita Catholic High School that the administration askedhim: “Can you come back in the Spring of 1991 and do something for our students for Prom? Maybe something different than the MADD display cars that we have had in previous years?”

As Concialdi headed back to his car with his Nikon projector, he thought to himself, yes, he could. And he smiled.

ORANGE COUNTY FIRE AUTHORITY FIREFIGHTER CREATES OC’S FIRST MOCK DUI CRASH IN 1991, LAUNCHES A COLLABORATIVE MULTIAGENCY EDUCATIONAL MOVEMENT TO ‘REACH, NOT PREACH’

By the fall of 1990, Concialdi was on a mission. The challenge had been posed to him to create something bigger, something better to teach high school teens about the dangers of drinking and driving around Prom season 1991… and the rest is history.

Concialdi contacted San Juan Capistrano Office CHP Officer Ken Daley in the fall of 1990. Daley was a key figure in FADD’s early days. He has since passed, but would be proud to see where Concialdi has taken that first brainstorming session the pair had back then. Daley put in a VHS tape that showed an amateur drunk driving skit put on by an East Coast police department.

Concialdi knew he could come up with something better. He recalled Mock Plane Crashes happening at OC’s John Wayne Airport – and thought to himself, “Why not do a Mock DUI Crash?”

“I said to Daley, we can make that better,” Concialdi said. “Daley told me I had the full support of the CHP. It was then that I created the name ‘Mock DUI Crash’ here in OC. There was no name for it before that.”

Concialdi later went on to meet with Orange County Fire Department Public Information Officer Dan Young, OCFD EMS Battalion Chief Kevin Brame, Mission Hospital’s Assistant Trauma Office Coordinator Gloria Lee-Jones and other agencies to begin actively planning for OC’s very first Mock DUI Crash in May 1991.

PARTNERSHIPS BECOME FRIENDSHIPS WITH THE FADD FAMILY

“I am very proud of Steve,” said Lee-Jones last year about FADD’s 100th Mock DUI Crash milestone. Lee-Jones is now retired and living in Hawaii; however, she played a pivotal role back in 1991 working with Concialdi to co-write the script for the FADD Mock DUI Crash that is still used today.

“Seeing FADD mark its’ 100th Mock DUI Crash made me reminisce about the first time this young, exceedingly enthusiastic guy showed up at the trauma office looking for “in the field trauma photos.” Which, back in those days were taken with Polaroid cameras Mission Hospital supplied. One of Dr. Tom Shaver’s futuristic visions which helped the surgeons anticipate what injuries to anticipate from the mechanism and vehicle damage. How that first visit led to more and more great things. Nothing short of miraculous!! Although I branched into different areas of nursing when I left Mission Hospital, I’ve kept a watchful eye on trauma prevention, particularly drunk driving, and nowhere, not Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii or anywhere on the mainland, is there a program like FADD that is so well organized, and so much involvement from the various Orange County agencies. Thanks Steve for your drive and enthusiasm.”

“Thanks Steve for your drive and enthusiasm,” Lee-Jones said. “I’m so pleased you are finally getting some recognition for all the work and dedication you’ve given to saving young lives.”

“What an honor to have worked with somebody that has been responsible for saving more teenage lives than anyone else in Orange County,” said retired veteran OCSD Deputy Sheriff Will Funk in 2017. Funk works in the corporate sector now traveling to companies to talk about traffic safety programs. “I have interacted with people all over the Country and I can’t think of anyone who has kept up the energetic effort like Steve has to put on 100 plus Mock DUI Crash events.”

Concialdi and Funk worked together for a decade between 2004 – 2014 when Funk worked for OCSD out of the Aliso Viejo station and focused on the teen traffic safety program.

“To get someone who has done a Mock DUI Crash at this many schools -- it’s such a challenge,” said Funk. “He takes it all in stride. It really takes an effort to sustain these events for so long – people just don’t realize. Each school has a new crew. I have been at meetings where he teaches a brand new crew the program all over again – and I have never seen him anything but energetic.”

“His enthusiasm is infectious – a never ending well of enthusiasm,” said Funk. “I have seen so many people try to do these or talk about doing them – they could never get it going or get it started – that doesn’t happen when Steve is around.”

“I remember working back in Orange County on teen traffic safety, and there was a group of teens talking about recently having been at a party – and someone was about to drive. One teen said they just saw a Mock DUI Crash and took the keys away from the person,” Funk said. “You are never going to stop everyone from drinking. But no doubt there are hundreds of stories like this that we never hear about. And to have 100 Mock DUI Crash events and have stories like this from each of them.”

FADD’S SUCCESS IS THE FAMILY-STYLE, DECADES LONG RELATIONSHIPS OF ALL PARTNERING OC AGENCIES, PERSONNEL WHO MAKE UP THE FADD DREAM TEAM; HOWEVER, CONCIALDI IS VERY MUCH THE STAR QUARTERBACK EVERY WINNING TEAM NEEDS

Concialdi credits FADD’s success to the individuals and agencies who have been solid partners with him from the beginning, including OCFA, CHP, OCSD, Mission Hospital, Trauma Intervention Program of Orange County (TIP), S&K Towing, Quality Towing, Preferred Towing, Aliso Viejo Towing, Saddleback Nursing Program, O’Connor Mortuary, Care Ambulance, Doctors Ambulance, Medix Ambulance, State Farm, students, faculty, family and all of the volunteers from a cross section of OC agencies.

“I believe we’ve made a difference,” Concialdi said last April.“Years back, there were many more teenage drinking and driving related collisions. The message is getting through.”

“Our message to teenagers, young adults – and adults as well, is to be responsible, wear their seat belts, don’t drink and drive, don’t ride with someone that has been drinking….and put down their phones,” Concialdi continued. “When you are driving – do not text and drive. That text can wait.”

“And we have only had to cancel twice in 27-years,” Concialdi said. “Once it was pouring rain, and the second cancellation was also because of bad weather; however, the rain never came. We tried to get everyone back at the last minute, but it was too late.”

One of the key figures of FADD’s Mock DUI Crash is the role of the Radio Paramedic. OCFA Firefighter/Paramedic Joel ”George Clooney” Maclean is the the firefighter that has made the role seem flawless and easy, when in fact he has to keep his eyes on many moving parts during the Mock DUI Crash presentation to ensure things run smoothly from the transition of when firefighters arrive on scene to the CHP or OCSD administering the field sobriety tests (FSTs). This year, the FSTs were conducted by CHP Officer Rafael Reynoso, PIO from the San Juan Capistrano Office, who did an outstanding job each and every time.

Reynoso and Maclean are 1st draft pick wide receivers and running backs QB Concialdi depends on each time as the game unfolds live out there on the field. Concialdi doesn’t do anything half-way, so those individuals selected to be FADD Mock DUI Crash participants are ones he places his trust and confidence in to do the job right — every time, at 200%.

Maclean has been a firefighter in OC for many years and has seen the real fatal traffic collisions on numerous occasions. His participation in the FADD Mock DUI Crash is his way to try to somehow convey to the young teens that sit in the audience that they have the ability to make good choices. He takes great pride and care in the role he has portrayed on high school campuses for many years now....and that effort he makes come through with every Mock DUI Crash.

2014 MISSION VIEJO TODAY PROGRAM GOES ON RECORD WITH FADD’S FOUNDER, LESSONS LEARED FROM THE FIELD GO INTO EVERY MOCK DUI CRASH PREPARATION

During a 2014 Mission Viejo Today televised interview with then-Mayor Pro-Tem Trish Kelley, City of Mission Viejo, interviewed Concialdi in 2014 on the program Mission Viejo Today – FADD archival footage gold!

Kelley, a true long-time supporter of FADD, did an outstanding interview – if not the best one to date, that anyone has ever captured on film with Concialdi about FADD.

During the program, they played a clip from a FADD Mock DUI Crash that took place at Capistrano Valley High School Spring of 2013. At that FADD 2013 event, the following interviews took place.

“It’s really about making teens more aware of what’s going on and choices they have to make,” said Mike Butcher, Los Angeles Angels Pitching Coach, at the 2013 FADD Mock DUI Crash.

“There is a lot of peer pressure out there with other students. You want to enjoy your high school years. You have the rest of your life to make these more adult decisions. At this age, I think these kids think that they are invincible.”

“It’s about making the right choices,” Butcher said in 2013. “I talked about what happened to Nick Adenhart and what happened to him four years ago. A promising future and it was just taken away from him three others in the vehicle, really, by a drunk driver that had no conscious or respect for anybody’s else’s life.”

Nicholas James Adenhart was an American right-handed baseball starting pitcher who played two seasons in Major League Baseball for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Just after pitching his first start of 2009, Adenhart was killed in a collision with a drunk driver, according to Wikipedia.

“Being here today and seeing this FADD Mock DUI Crash, I sat there and I had tears come to my eyes,” said Rod Carew, Baseball Hall of Famer, at the Capo Valley Mock DUI Crash in 2013. “You see these young people who are out there drinking and driving and hurting other people. We hope that today will make a difference in their lives and that they don’t go on and continue to do these things.”

“If you know that someone is drinking too much, take their keys away from them,” Carew said in 2013. “We all have cell phones. Call someone so that you don’t endanger your friends that are there with you and endanger other people who are out driving.”

Concialdi was also interviewed during the 2013 Capo Valley FADD Mock DUI Crash.

“FADD’s mission is to educate teenagers and young adults on the adverse effects of drinking and driving and to motivate them through a horrific accident like this not to drink and drive, not to text and drive, not to get into a car with somebody that is racing,” Concialdi said then. “These are real life tragedies that these students witnessed. And if they can learn from somebody else’s mistakes, it is going to save so much grief and heartache for them for the rest of their lives.”

After the 2013 clip played, Kelley returned to interviewing Concialdi.

“Even if we save one life over the years, it’s worth it. We work with a core group of student actors that act in the FADD Mock DUI Crash and the Every 15 Minutes Program,” Concialdi told Kelley. “When we do these presentations, a lot of times you can hear a pin drop. The students are intent, they are watching it, some of them cry, some of them are upset.”

“I have been doing these since 1991,” said Concialdi, and explained how he often times runs into people that played or acted in some of the FADD Mock DUI Crash presentations over the years. He recounted a time one former student recognized him at a wedding.

“They said, ‘I still remember our high school’s crash and it scared me for life. I still remember that!,’” Concialdi recalled.

A GLIMPSE AT THE PRESENTATIONS DIRECTLY FOLLOWING A FADD MOCK DUI CRASH; TRANSCRIPTS FROM FADD’S 100TH MOCK DUI CRASHAPRIL 24, 2017 AT SMCHS IN RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA

“Wow, what a powerful program. My name is Steve Concialdi, and I am a Captain-Paramedic with the Orange County Fire Authority. I am also with an organization named FADD – Friends Against Drinking and Driving. We have been doing these Mock DUI Crashes for 26-years,” Concialdi told a silent, focused and intently moved audience -- mostly driving-aged teenagers, Monday April 24, 2017 around 11 a.m. at SMCHS in RSM during his 100th Mock DUI Crash presentation with his non-profit FADD.

He carried with him a bright yellow anti-texting sign reading “Put It Down” someone handed him right before he started speaking – part of the www.lookupoc.org, a promising upstart campaign of its own by Ladera Ranch 17-year old Maggie Jennison, aimed at getting everyone to put down their smart phones and look up! “And 26-years ago next month, we did the very first one here at SMCHS, and this is our 100thpresentation that we have done in those 26-years.”

“We are not out here to preach to anybody,” Concialdi emphatically expressed, donning his navy blue OCFA fire captain uniform, with his trademark Maui Jim sunglasses, basic G-Shock black watch and Aquafina 12-oz water bottle in his back pocket. The sun had finally broken through the clouds and native small birds chirped in nearby native trees. “All we are asking is to reach.”

“Our message to teenagers, young adults – and adults as well, is to be responsible, wear their seat belts, don’t drink and drive, don’t ride with someone that has been drinking and driving….and put down their smart phones,” Concialdi continued. “When you are driving – do not text and drive. That text can wait.”

“The OCFA firefighters out here, the CHP officers, the OCSD deputies, Mission Hospital, the ambulance and towing companies…we see this all too often,” Concialdi said. “It’s not just drinking and driving. It’s not just street racing. It’s texting as well.”

“One of your SMCHS students, Maggie Jennison, even came up with this idea (holding a yellow sign) – basically, put your phone down when you’re driving,” Concialdi said. “That is a message for everybody. Myself. All of the adults. All of the teachers. And everyone of you.”

“Again, we’re not preaching, we’re just trying to reach,”Concialdi said.
“This accident that you saw today with the Mock DUI Crash, with the (mock) Mom coming out to the (mock) dead bodies, this accident happened,” Concialdi reminded them, as the approximately 1,250 students, faculty and parents collectively shrunk their shoulders towards the pavement and many looked down, their faces pained and distressed.

“This accident is a reenactment of an actual crash that took place here in the Saddleback Valley – where the drunk driver only had a couple of drinks,” Concialdi continued.

“Like the driver in the Mock DUI Crash today, “Ryan” here, who said he was fine…. “I’ve only had a couple of drinks. We were just going off to a place we could get together and just continue to party for a little bit,”” Concialdi said. “Well, in the real accident, he killed three people and seriously injured five others. Lives were changed forever.”

THE 1987 SADDLEBACK VALLEY FATAL CAR CRASH THE FADD MOCK DUI CRASH IS BASED ON; LANDMARK $5.3 MILLION JURY VERDICT FROM RESULTING LAWSUIT HELD TEEN PASSENGERS ALSO LIABLE FOR DAMAGES TO CRASH SURVIVORS

The twist in the FADD Mock DUI Crash is that the role of the teenage drunk driver, “Ryan,” is arrested for DUI -- instead of dying in the original horrific 1987 collision the Mock DUI Crash is based on.

In that 1987 crash, John Christopher Quinton, 16, of Laguna Niguel had been drinking with friends before getting into his parents Mercedes Benz and heading towards a school dance.

Quinton crossed incoming traffic in San Juan Capistrano and collided with another vehicle. Quinton died along with two teenage friends – and he seriously injured five others in that fatal crash, one of the worst in Saddleback Valley’s history.

One of Quinton’s teenage passengers told the OC Register in 1987 that, “he and Quinton had two beers each at a friend’s house before getting into Quinton’s parents’ car and driving up Camino Capistrano, where the accident occurred.” (OC Register, March 3, 1987).

Quinton was alleged to have been racing with another car at the time of the accident, thus thrusting the five surviving parties into a lengthy and groundbreaking lawsuit involving the liability of the teenage passengers in Quinton’s car in causing the injuries of the passengers in the vehicle he slammed into that ill-fated night, Friday, February 27, 1987. (Court of Appeal of the State of California; Fourth Appellate District, Division Three; App No. 4 Civil No. G010878; Appeal from the Superior Court of The State of California, Orange County, Case No. 53-96-88).”

In the 1987 crash, Sandy Donahue, then 35, of Fountain Valley, suffered extensive internal and facial injuries and came within minutes of dying, according to the OC Register. Donahue and her then 8-year old daughter Casey were riding with Donahue’s boyfriend, Howard Hayden, on Camino Capistrano when Quinton’s large Mercedes crashed into them.

“Sandy was almost cut in two from her seat belt – the impact of Quinton’s Mercedes Benz was so massive,” Newport Beach attorney Ronald B. Schwartz said by telephone in 2017.

Schwartz, an attorney with 40-years experience fighting for injured and wronged individuals and their families throughout California, represented Donahue in the negligence and civil conspiracy case against Quinton and the surviving teenagers. “She still suffers a great deal.”

Schwartz said the landmark jury verdict in the early 1990’s was a statement by the community that not only the driver Quinton was responsible, but that his teenage passengers were also liable under the laws of civil conspiracy for damages to Donahue, her daughter and Hayden.

TEEN PASSENGERS HELD LIABLE FOR DAMAGES JURY RULED IN LANDMARK ORANGE COUNTY VERDICT FOLLOWING THE 1987 SADDLEBACK VALLEY CRASH FADD’S MOCK DUI CRASH IS BASED ON

The verdict was for $5.3 million, Schwartz said. The defendants requested a new trial – however ultimately decided to settle the case before any appeal was heard.

“We argued that Quinton and his teenage friends had met at their parents’ homes the week before the Friday night accident,” Schwartz recalled. “They planned that night to drink, party and drive.”

“The jury found the teenagers liable under the civil conspiracy laws back then,” Schwartz said. “The $5.3 million verdict was a very big deal at that time. In today’s figures, it would be about $10 - $12 million.”

JURY FINDING WAS ABOUT THE LIABILITY AND RESPONSIBILITY OF ALL TEENS IN THE CAR THAT NIGHT, ATTORNEY FOR VICTIMS OF 1987 CRASH SAID IN 2017

“That jury finding was not just about the money in the Quinton case,” Schwartz said. “It was about the liability and responsibility of all those in the vehicle.”

“It was about the responsibility of the entire peer group,” Schwartz said. “Those kids were just not educated in the right things. They were all together planning in the homes of the parents, figuring out how to get booze in the days before the collision. It wasn’t just Quinton.”

“All those teenagers carved out that plan to drink and drive,” Schwartz affirmed. “The issue of teenagers drinking and driving is better than it once was – but there is still work to be done.”

FADD MOCK DUI CRASH PRESENTATIONS INCLUDE POWERFUL MESSAGES OF PAIN, LOSS FROM SURVIVING FAMILY MEMBERS OF LOVED ONES LOST IN DRINKING AND DRIVING COLLISIONS

By far one of the most moving and impactful moments of the 100th Mock DUI Crash April 24, 2017 came when 33 ½ -year retired OCFA Captain/Paramedic Craig and wife Doreen Campbell and their sizable family – including a well-behaved infant and earnestly attentive and loving small children (holding each other side by side), bravely spoke to the teens through grief and tears about the life-changing loss they endured – and continue to actively endure daily, since losing their beloved Kaydee to a drunk driver on the I-5 Santa Ana Freeway in 2008.

“Good morning Santa Margarita. What you just witnessed was the reality of my family,” Craig solemnly told the crowd in 2017. “I’m your neighbor. I live right up the street. I belong to your Parish. I have four children. I would like to introduce my family. My wife Doreen. Our son Cody, SMCHS graduate of 2003. Our daughter Taylor SMCHS graduate of 2008. And our daughter Ally, a SMCHS graduate of 2009.”

“And then a photo of our daughter Kaydee, SMCHS class of 2006. This photo of Kaydee, 20, was taken on Dec. 14, 2008, ironically, there was a camera in the back of our vehicle. Our daughter Taylor decided to pick up a camera on the way to Church and take a picture of Kaydee. This photo was taken about six hours before the accident I am about to tell you about,” Craig said heavily, while one of his daughters held a larger-than life size color photo of Kaydee, a stunningly beautiful girl. He also showed the hushed crowed the very last Christmas photo of all of his children together taken in Dove Canyon in 2008. They had just gotten home from college.

That Christmas was supposed to be a celebration, but it turned into the family’s worst nightmare on December 14th.

“I would just like to thank my family for being here. You can imagine when a tragedy like this happens you depend on your faith and your family. And I have a rock solid family. A lot of them took the day off from work to be here. I thank you guys and love you for your continued support.”

“In our family we have businessmen, we have a professor from USC, we have police officers, retired teachers, a Marine Corp. Captain, firefighters, teachers, a retired nurse. The reason I say this is that we are no different than you. We are you,” Craig imparted. “Kaydee was actually sitting here a couple of years ago.”

“I am going to talk about the situation on Dec. 14, 2008 and our story. It’s difficult to get up here every year. I do it because I think of the message that if we can get to just one student its worth getting up here and rehashing this horrible memory that we have,” Craig said. “But for every student, every firefighter, every deputy sheriff, every police officer, if you can just do me a favor right now, as I tell this story, if you could just go there in your house. Because it’s interesting, in my 33 ½ years as a OCFA Captain/Paramedic, I saw this – and like Captain Concialdi said, this does happen. You’ve just seen this on television. But we live it every day in Orange County. So I want you to go there and just think of how you would feel, the emotions, as I tell this story. If you can do that, I think this will be more impactful on you.”

“So on Dec. 14, 2008, we actually had flown all of the kids home – for what we thought was going to be the celebration of Christmas vacation. We typically go as a family to 5 p.m. Mass,” Craig said. “It was a great night. The kids asked if they could wait to get the Christmas tree until they all got home. So we put the Christmas tree out. My Mother-in-law sang Christmas carols.”
“I could remember Doreen saying that night as we were holding hands…,” Craig said, while trailing off briefly to hold back tears and regain his composure. “…[she said] “we are going to sleep so good tonight because all the kids are home.”

“I had worked the night before and I had been up a couple of times, so I was tired. I turned to Kaydee – and I used to call her “Missy”, I said, “Missy, what are you going to do tonight?” She told me she was going to go up with her boyfriend up to Pasadena, that she had made cookies, and that she would see me in the morning. I gave her a kiss. It’s one of those things that you hear – you never leave the house upset,” Craig recalled sadly. “I never thought in a million years to turn around and look back at Kaydee and look at her one more time.”

“We got a knock at the door about 1:30 a.m. My little one Ally came up and said, “Dad, someone is at the front door,”” Craig recalled. “I walked down the stairs. The Christmas tree was still up. As I looked through the stairs as I went downstairs, I could see two men out on the porch. I opened up the door, and the OCFA Fire Chief Chip Prather and our Department Chaplain were standing there. And Chief Chip Prather knew Kaydee and had tears running down his eyes. I said, “My God Chief, what’s wrong?”, and he said, “Craig, I am so sorry, Kaydee has been killed in a car accident.”

Absolute silence fell over the crowd.

“I can remember walking backwards and holding my chest,”Craig said between holding back tears. “I asked if Mikey [Kaydee’s boyfriend] was still alive. I remember hearing Doreen – it was just a horrible scream, saying, “Oh my God.”

“We basically went from planning a great Christmas vacation to planning a funeral the following Friday,” Craig said. “You can imagine what it was like to call everyone in the family at 1:30 a.m. to tell them.”

“What I want you to know – that when something like this happens, it just does not affect just me or Doreen, or our three kids,” Craig said. “It affects all these different people in so many ways throughout their whole lives. And lots of other people and family and friends.”

“Let me tell you about how the accident,” Craig said. “Kaydee was driving down the I-5 Santa Ana Freeway at about 11:30 p.m. with her boyfriend. There had been a young adult and his girlfriend racing down the freeway at about 100 MPH – and at the I-5 freeway at Red Hill they rear ended a vehicle. I never got to talk with Kaydee again but I got to talk to Mike. Kaydee couldn’t wait she wanted to call 911.”

“About 5 minutes later they came upon the accident. Kaydee, was a student at The University of Saint Francis in Indiana, and she was chasing a dream of becoming a nurse like her mother,” Craig said. “So they stopped at the accident, the 16-year old had been injured, the accident was probably three-to four minutes old, OCFA was still en route. Kaydee was leaning down helping the girl who got injured.”

According to a 2009 article by the OC Register, it had been raining the night of Dec. 14, 2008. Kaydee and her boyfriend Mikey Valadez were on their way in his BMW to visit his parents in Pasadena. They came upon the accident at Red Hill, and Kaydee, the daughter of an OCFA Captain and nurse, asked to stop and help.

Kaydee got out to help and tried to help the girl’s bleeding to stop. Her boyfriend went to the back of his BMW to retrieve a towel for the blood, according to the Register.

The Register states that, “A 1992 black Toyota 4-runner drove towards them, by Takayuki Saito, 41, and according to authorities, had been drinking. The 4-runner plowed into the back of the BMW, pushing it into Kaydee and the 16-year old girl she was trying to help, Kaydee was killed. The 16-year old girl lived.”

“The girl told the family from her hospital room it felt like an angel had wrapped her arm around her,” according to the story.

Saito, out on bail and facing nine years in prison, stabbed himself repeatedly in the stomach and died in 2009, according to the Register.

“When everyone else jumped out of the way, my little Kaydee…,” Craig’s voice trailed off again with tears and briefly stopped back when he spoke in 2017. “…laid over the 16-year old girl and covered her up. And the car hit Kaydee and she was killed instantly.”

“This young girl lived and survived,” Craig said. “And the one year vigil of our daughter’s death, that young girl told us she was going to go to school to become a nurse in Kaydee’s memory.”

“How would you handle this if you were driving this vehicle?” Craig’s voice rose emphatically. “How could you handle the guilt and grief of all of the families that you have affected? Because you can see from right now – it just doesn’t affect you and your family…it’s amazing how it affects so many people.”

“A few months after the incident, we had another knock at our door,” Craig recalled. “I opened up our door and there were a couple of OC Chief Officers, and I started to freak out and thought, “Oh my God, I can’t do this again!! What is wrong??”

“They came in and said my family was fine, but asked me to sit down,” said Craig, again choking back tears. “They told me the gentleman that hit Kaydee bailed out of jail this morning on $1 million bail, he was being charged with vehicular homicide, and he went home and killed himself.”

“Another tragedy. And another family going through the same thing,” Craig’s voice wavering. “That man could not live with his conscious. We went on Christmas Eve to the courthouse and we forgave him. My wife and I looked him straight in the face and said as Catholic Christians, we forgive you.”

“But he could not live with himself,” Craig said solemnly.

“My message to you – and this is always the hard part,” Craig said. “What have we learned from today?”

“When you drink, you do not make good decisions,” said Craig, slowly regaining strength in his voice. “There really is no excuse to drink and drive. If you are at a party, and you get yourself into that situation, you have got to come up with a better plan.”

“My final message is how do you survive this?” Craig said, “Your faith is how you survive this.”

BUT DO THESE PROGRAMS WORK?

While many who witness these events and participate in them see the real-time impacts programs such as ‘Every 15 Minutes’ and “FADD Mock DUI Crash” presentations have on students – some who hear about these programs remain curious about their effectiveness and want proof that they are working (hard evidence such as statistics) and monies invested earning the greatest return (lowered teenage drunk drivers/accidents in South Orange County).

“Statistics can’t predict this precisely. To point to one reason to cause or mitigate an accident is impossible,” said the Assistant Director for the California Office of Traffic Safety, Chris Cochran in April 2017. “The majority of evidence research indicates is most reliable for teenage drivers is anecdotal, that is, evidence we obtain through data and reports from the participants in the programs, such as the parents, students, and those involved.”

The California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) strives to eliminate traffic deaths and injuries. It does this by making available grants to local and state public agencies for programs that help them enforce traffic laws, educate the public in traffic safety, and provide varied and effective means of reducing fatalities, injuries and economic losses from collisions, according to www.ots.ca.gov.

“When it has to do with teens – we point to all the teen driver education that not only comes from the State, but from the private sector as well,” Cochran said then. “Our research indicates that if you work on teenagers young and over and over again, they will hold onto it for a long time.”

“Research into the psychology of teenagers shows that what works for some teens, may not work for others,” Cochran said. “So the State offers a variety of programs aimed at teenage driving safety, including, but not comprehensively, Every 15 Minutes, Start Smart, Friday Night Live, Impact Teen Drivers, Real DUI Court in Schools and recently SADD, Students Against Destructive Decisions.”

“No counter measure will work 100% of the time, on 100% of teens,” Cochran said. “This is why we do it many different ways, at many different times.”

While online statistics compiled in 2017 for the California Office of Traffic Safety showed many of FADD Mock DUI Crash presentation South Orange County cities with a “0” in the category of “Victims Killed & Injured” in a collision that “Had Been Drinking Driver Less Than 21,” the California Office of Traffic Safety said in 2017 that programs like FADD’s are primarily judged effective through anecdotal evidence, such as data, reports given to the office by program participants (students, families) after a program runs. (http://www.ots.ca.gov/OTS_and_Traffic_Safety/Score_Card.asp).

One of the programs FADD partners with is the Every 15 Minutes program, a two-day program focusing on high school juniors and seniors, which challenges them to think about drinking, driving, personal safety, the responsibility of making mature decisions and the impact their decisions have on family, friends, their community, and many others, according to https://www.chp.ca.gov/programs-services/programs/youth-programs/every-15-minutes.

“The vast majority of feedback on Every 15 Minutes is anecdotal. However, we did find one study done back in 2003 that shows at least a short term positive outcome to the programs - http://www.cjhp.org/Volume1_2003/Issue3-TEXTONLY/01-06-bordin.pdf,” said Cochran in 2017. “All driver behavior, including teen drivers, stems from multiple overlapping personal and circumstantial contexts, so the mitigation measures must also be multiple and varied. With such a multiplicity of causes and mitigations, it is extremely difficult to assign specific changes in the big picture with single events or programs.”


The OTS has strict oversight on school/entity obtaining grants for teen driving programs, such as Every 15 Minutes. OTS receives 99.5% of its funding from federal highway gas tax money, Cochran said in 2017. So in order for people to receive a grant – done through a competitive grant process, feedback is obtained by the State from agencies along the way to ensure the programs are being done correctly and by guidelines set forth in grant agreements, he said then.

“The Office of Traffic Safety has a collective vision of zero deaths for the entire State,” Cochran said. “In order to effect change at the local level, you’ve got to get into the weeds to look at a particular City to see what’s really going on. And therefore, you can’t extrapolate that one thing does or does not work. Especially given that statistical anomalies can and do occur.”

FADD DREAM TEAM

“I am continually amazed at all of the volunteers, agencies and organizations that have continued to make a commitment to FADD for so long,” Concialdi said in 2017. “It is all of us working together to try to save lives.”
“Putting on the Mock DUI Crash is a huge time commitment – but it’s worth it,” Concialdi said. “Thanks to all of the volunteers – donating time and personal effort to this cause, we are making a difference.”

“The schools are so dedicated and call year after year. Many schools tell us that the Mock DUI Crash is by far the most impactful program that they put on for their high school students,” Concialdi said. “OCFA is extremely supportive of the cause, along with the CHP, OCSD, Mission Hospital, TIP, Care Ambulance, O’Connor Mortuary, and all of the towing companies. I just can’t thank everyone enough. They make it possible – along with the Core group of students.”

FADD continues to break ground and history in OC in the fight to teach teens about the dangers of drinking and driving – and now distracted driving with the onslaught of smart phones, tablets and electronic watches and the temptation to engage in social media while driving.

“As firefighters, we often see parents or loved ones arrive on scene of a tragic vehicle collision. Smart phones allow people to connect so rapidly today, that many times we have family members – sometimes parents, arrive at an incident and they are overwhelmed emotionally,” Concialdi said. “This is why the Mock DUI Crash can be such an effective training measure – not only for all of the first responders, but for our TIP volunteers, who respond to these scenes and provide critical emotional help to these families so that firefighters and police officers can tend to the accident scene.”

A BROTHERS LOVE, LOSS SHARED DURING FADD SEASON TO HELP INFLUENCE TEENS TO MAKE GOOD CHOICES

Former reserve OCFA Firefighter Billy Shelly has been a part of the FADD team for the past decade – intentionally stepping into the spotlight with his own broken heart and pain with the goal of saving lives. His older brother Raymond “Scott” Shelly, 40, and his friend, Jose Valverde, 47, were both killed in a fatal traffic collision November 2001 on PCH in Dana Point after 19-year old Erin Gormley, of San Clemente, who was street racing and under the influence, slammed into their van at 75 mph in her yellow Mustang as they turned left, according to an LA Times article.

Gormley was found guilty of two counts of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, felony driving under the influence of alcohol, engaging in a speed contest and speeding, according to http://articles.latimes.com/2003/aug/12/local/me-speed12.

The case, heard before Superior Court Judge James P. Marion, turned on the jury believing that Gormley was impaired by what attorneys said were three swallows of rum and three puffs of marijuana more than an hour before she raced a black Mustang on Pacific Coast Highway and Del Obispo Street in Dana Point, said juror Allen Gross, 46, of Garden Grove, according to the LA Times report.

“The van tipped over and burst into flames, killing Shelly, 40, and Valverde, 47, and producing enough heat to drive back witnesses who tried to help, authorities said,” the LA Times article stated.

Each spring, Billy pushes aside his grief and agony to stand before juniors and seniors to tell them the heart wrenching story of what happened to his beloved brother.

This year it was especially difficult for Billy to speak to the students in the aftermath of their Mom passing away last year.


“It’s like having scab that heals all year and then you’re forced to pull it off in front of all these students,” Shelly said, who spoke to Capo Valley High School students May 16th during FADD’s 108th Mock DUI Crash. “I usually have at least two or three kids come up to me afterwards. They have tears in their eyes. They tell me, “I really felt what you said. I will never drink and drive.’”

“For me – if two kids don’t die on prom night it’s worth the personal pain for me to relive it,” Shelly said.

Readers can watch the full 108th FADD Mock DUI Crash at Capo Valley High School May 16th by visiting OCSD – Mission Viejo Police Services Facebook page (@OCSDMissionViejo) https://www.facebook.com/OCSDMissionViejo/videos/1388005914633041/.


THE QUARTERBACK THANKS HIS TEAM, ESPECIALLY, HIS FAMILY


Interviewed in 2017 after FADD’s 100th Mock DUI Crash, Concialdi expressed sincere gratitude to all those individuals and agencies who have been his FADD Team and FADD Family from the beginning. He shies away – repeatedly, from taking center stage or credit for what he’s truly been able to do: mobilize (enthusiastically and still smiling after 27-years and 108 events) massive amounts of agencies and individuals over three decades towards a common goal of saving lives.

“I’m hoping my kids will take over FADD one day,” Concialdi said in 2017.

“When my son Andy, now 17 and an OCFA Fire Explorer, was five or six, he would come out to the Mock DUI Crash events dressed like me in a nice shirt and tie – he was like a mini me,” Concialdi laughed. “And my daughter Gracie, 15, wants to be a nurse and help to carry on FADD’s mission. I am very proud of both of them.”

“I am amazed by the selflessness Steve shows by the many hours he puts into planning just one Mock DUI Crash. The phone calls, the coordination with each school and every agency involved,” Steve’s dedicated wife Sally Concialdi said in 2017.“Steve surrounds himself with the best possible volunteers, whom together, makes this all work beautifully. As his wife of 19-years, I stand in the shadows and burst with pride and humbleness of what his mission is: to save one high schooler at a time!”

Gracie Concialdi, 15 and a SMCHS sophomore in 2017, said then that she has ambitions of following in her father’s footsteps of caring for others and plans on becoming a nurse. She said she has aspirations of working alongside her future firefighter older brother in carrying on the message of FADD in their father’s image.

“I would like to bring my fellow nurses with me and work alongside the student actors, helping to also oversee the application of the moulage,” Gracie said in 2017. “I would like to help plan the Mock DUI Crashes and speak to the students afterwards. It’s very important to me to keep the legacy going of what my Dad has created.”

A touching tribute from future firefighter son to fire captain father, though, was captured perfectly by thoughts expressed in 2017 by Concialdi’s son, Andy, then a 17-year old junior at SMCHS, an OCFA Fire Explorer, and yes, a baseball player like his Dad.

Words from a son to a father that brought tears to his Dad’s eyes:
“I hope to follow in my Dad’s footsteps in becoming a full-time firefighter and plan to help take over FADD (Friends Against Drinking and Driving) with my younger sister Gracie,” Andy wrote in 2017. He was in full turnout gear and a shiny black OCFA Fire Explorer helmet with the last name “CONCIALDI” emblazoned in white on the back as he participated proudly alongside his Dad in the 100th FADD Mock DUI Crash at his high school on Monday, April 24, 2017. “I want to continue to help with this great program that my Dad started so many years ago with all of these other great volunteers that he has surrounded himself with. Without everyone’s involvement, FADD would not be the non-profit organization that it is today. I have personally seen all of the hard work and dedication that my Dad puts into FADD to make it as successful as it is. My Dad inspires me with his selflessness and passion for helping others -- and trying to make a difference in the community. Unfortunately, he and other firefighters have to witness these crashes in real life and they are truly affected by them. I know that my Dad does his FADD work not to benefit himself, but to make a positive difference in the lives of teenagers, young adults and parents all across South Orange County – and beyond. I truly believe that (FADD) Friends Against Drinking and Driving has saved countless lives over its’ 26 years and will continue to do so for many more years to come.”

CONCIALDI’S MESSAGE REMAINS CONSISTENT – REACH, NOT PREACH

“As an OCFA Firefighter/Paramedic, we have crashes every day,” Concialdi continued with Kelley on the 2014 on Mission Viejo Today program when talking about how his experience as a firefighter factors into FADD’s mission. “A lot of them are texting -- people becoming distracted. Or they are driving too quickly or driving too quickly in the rain.”

“I tell my kids, ‘Nothing good ever happens after midnight,’” Concialdi said. “And I see it. Often. We get fatal accidents weekly – sometimes daily, here in Orange County. On the freeways, on the streets. We are just trying to help educate people against drinking and driving, not texting, street racing, slowing down, and wearing your seat belts. So many more people would be alive today if they just wore their seat belts.”

“We know we are reaching a lot of people with FADD’s Mock DUI Crash,” Concialdi continued. “And it’s not just the drinking and driving, it’s the texting, the distractions, street racing – all of those things.”

“When you are younger, you think you are invincible and nothing is ever going to happen to you,” Concialdi said. “With the FADD Mock DUI Crash, we have shown – and I have seen personally as a firefighter/paramedic, bad things happen all the time to people. If we can just change some behavior or make people think before they act, I believe we are saving lives.”

For more information on FADD, FADD Friends, go to:


http://fadd-ca.org/

https://www.facebook.com/FADD.CA/; FADD Friends Against Drinking & Driving CA @FADD.CA

Photos courtesy the Concialdi Family; the Shelly Family (photo of Scott Shelly); and OCFA