Schools
VIDEO: 'We don’t want this to happen to you'
On the eve of the Junior Class Prom, Westborough High School students witness sobering crash simulation.
Included with this report is video and an image gallery contributed by journalist Trish Reske.
The sound of screeching tires, smashing metal and shattered glass began a graphic simulation of a head-on collision at the Friday that gave students an up-close, grim view of the potential consequences of drunk or reckless driving.
High school juniors and seniors watched as emergency personnel responded to the mock accident scene at the rear parking lot. One student lay covered by a white sheet on the pavement, pronounced dead on arrival, while the driver of the car was extricated using the Jaws of Life to rip open the drivers’ car door. A UMass LifeFlight helicopter had landed nearby. The driver of the second car was arrested after failing field sobriety tests. The passenger of the second car was the only student uninjured. She broke down in tears when she saw the covered body on the pavement, the victims’ black dress shoes suggesting the couple had just come from a special event.
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The high school's first-ever crash simulation, staged the day before Junior Prom, was multi-agency effort coordinated by School Liason Officer Charles “Chip” Dapolite. The four accident victims were played by Westborough High School Center Stage Improv students David Benites, Becca Crivello, Mara Frumkin, and Jef Mettler.
“We want to hit home at this very busy time of year the need for students to slow down, think about their decisions and make good ones. This is real life, it’s your life, and we don’t want this to happen to you,” said Assistant Principal Brian Callaghan.
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Lieutenant Bob Rand of the explained that the procedures and equipment used were what one would find in a real accident. “The only part that would not happen is removing the deceased from the vehicle,” he said.
“That was intense," said junior Brittany Rosenthal after watching the event. “It was so much more real than seeing it in a movie.”
Junior Jess Beliveau was affected by the emergency personnel using the Jaws of Life. “When they ripped the door off the car, it was scary, because you could see the person inside for the first time,” she said.
As the LifeFlight helicopter lifted off and whirred overhead, Principal John Smith concluded with a personal message to the students.
“Ladies and gentlemen… your teachers are concerned about you, your friends, the administration here at the high school, the community, fire, and local law enforcement. We want this to be a safe, drug and alcohol-free Prom and Senior Ball season and graduation season. You have so much to look forward to, you have so much to still achieve in your life. Make good decisions. Drive appropriately. Things like this happen every day. It can be a reality.”
In fact, it does happen every day. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 1,400 injuries and 15 deaths occur to teenage drivers each day. Forty percent are alcohol related.
“We hope the message gets across,” said Lieutenant Rand. “If everything we did today saves one person, or makes one person think twice, then we’ve done our job.”
