MIDDLETOWN — Two cars with teenage occupants collided Thursday on Big Canyon Road in front of Middletown High School (MHS). One driver died on scene and the passenger of the other vehicle died en route to the hospital.
It should be noted, however, that this was all a simulation put on by MHS administrators and students, parents and law enforcement and emergency personnel to send home an important message: don”t drink and drive.
Every 15 Minutes is a program put on by the California Highway Patrol and the Office of Traffic Safety at high schools that simulates a car crash scenario as a result of driving under the influence (DUI). The program got its name from statistics that showed a person was killed or injured in a DUI incident every 15 minutes.
Students are chosen by administrators to participate, with some students involved in the car wreck and some pulled out of class by the Grim Reaper to be part of the Walking Dead. Four MHS students acted out the crash scenario.
Junior Jacob Gill was the sober driver of one vehicle who died on scene. Sophomore Nathan Snodgrass was Gill”s sober passenger who survived the crash and was taken by ambulance to St. Helena Hospital, Clear Lake.
Junior Devynn McKenney was the drunk driver who survived the crash, was arrested, booked into the Lake County Hill Road Correctional Facility and appeared before a judge for sentencing. Senior Roshell Dunlap was McKenney”s drunken passenger who was injured in the crash, airlifted to St. Helena Hospital, Clear Lake and died en route.
Twenty-two other MHS students participated as the Walking Dead. A teacher portraying the Grim Reaper pulled them out of class at 15-minute intervals. At the scene of the crash, the Walking Dead followed the Grim Reaper, personifying death.
Planning for the simulation began in September, with all involved organizations meeting numerous times. A “dry run” took place one week prior to the simulated crash.
? Editor”s note: Kevin N. Hume served as the media representative by coordinating and filming the crash. Tara Hall, Missy Hall and Shana Hadley assisted him with filming, including following McKenney as she was booked at the correctional facility and appeared before the judge, as well as filming parents visiting their children, both alive and “dead,” at the hospital. Following the simulation, the program continued by separating the students and parents for 24 hours. Separate retreats are held where both students and parents write goodbye letters and listen to speakers. The program finishes today with a mock funeral and assembly, where a video of the simulation is shown, one student and one parent each read their goodbye letter and other speakers are featured.
Kevin N. Hume can be reached at kevin.n.hume@gmail.com or call directly 263-5636 ext. 14. Follow on Twitter: @KevinNHume.
