Mock wreck sends sobering message to Mission students

By Karen Peterson

Leader Staff

ST. IGNATIUS — Blood covered three Mission high school students last week but fortunately, it was only a mock wreck, designed to shock their classmates into making better choices before they get behind the wheel of a car.

Tribal Law and Order, the Lake County Sheriff’s office, Care Flight, Mission Ambulance, Mission Police and the Mission Fire Department used their expertise to make the accident look authentic. After responding to the real thing "too many times," prevention has become their focus.

"We’ve shown you what happens if you drink and drive because I’ll do whatever I can to keep you safe," school resource officer Levi Read told the students.

During the reenactment, emergency sirens blared throughout town to give the students a taste of a real accident, and emergency crews were on the scene ready to respond.

The Mission Fire crew used the Jaws-of-Life to saw into a car to extract three students. The Mission Police department cuffed the "drunk driver," student Riley Bailey, who was given a Breathalyzer test before he was handcuffed and taken away in a Mission police car. A Lake County coroner took one "fatality," Shelby Fraker, away in a body bag.

After almost having to turn back because of fog and rain, Care Flight landed on the football field to transport the critically injured, Jordan Rohrich, to the hospital. Sadie Frey was put on a stretcher and taken to the hospital by ambulance.

Before the accident, the grim reaper randomly chose one student every 15 minutes to become a ghost, as part of the "ghost out" part of the event. Ghosts were painted white to be a symbolic memory to the students, and were not allowed to speak the rest of the day.

"They are a reminder of what it would be like if someone was really dead," Read said.

Lake County detective Kim Leibenguth shared her personal story with the students, after the mock accident. Leibenguth’s sister was killed in a car wreck that was caused by a drunk driver. She wanted the students to know that poor choices do hurt other people.

"Think about your choices," she said. "And please make good ones."

The Lake County DUI task force donated T-shirts to the students as a constant reminder, to them, to remember to make good choices.

"Hopefully these shirts will help remind them during the year of what could happen," Lake County Sheriff’s sergeant Lance Ewers said.

Highway 93 is the deadliest highway in Montana, Ewers said, and he hopes that "a little education" will have an impact on the students.

"Kids think that they are immortal. They don’t understand the consequences of distracted driving and driving drunk. They don’t understand how alcohol affects them yet. That’s why the number one leading cause of death for teenagers is in a car crash," he said. "And if we’ve changed only one kid’s behavior today, that makes this a success."

Darwin Hesley helped make the mock injuries appear real, right down to the last scratch by applying the wounds to the students with stage makeup. Hesley once worked as a makeup artist but now he is an EMT for Charlo’s Quick Response Unit and the Ronan Ambulance Service.

"Anything to help prevent kids from drinking and driving is important," he said.

The school’s counselor, Carrie Stefanatz, was on hand to monitor students’ reactions to the event.

"This definitely has an impact on the kids and the staff. We’ve had kids just this year involved in real accidents so it’s fresh in their minds. It’s pretty hard to deal with when it really happens," she said. "Hopefully this will help prevent any more."