On Thursday April 20th, a group from Mercy Health came to FHC to produce a “mock accident” to warn teens about distracted driving. Some students were minorly affected but others were majorly affected by this unique experience. I deeply hope that it will help change the minds of our distracted generation.

The production first started with all of the juniors gathering in the auditorium. What was going to happen was briefly explained and then we were directed to go outside to the faculty parking lot. Once we were in the parking lot, it was explained that we watch closely as a scene would be acted out as if it were a real crash with real first responders. The people in the crash were students from our own school in our grade. This made the connection, but for some people, it was more emotional.

Once the responders came to the scene, they instantly started working. They were checking the vehicles as well as the people involved in the crash. The student that was pronounced “dead” was covered in a white and gray blanket. Her parents were brought to the scene to identify the body. In the vehicle that had two passengers, the passenger seat teen was covered with a blanket to protect it from the soon to be broken window near him. Once he was completely covered by the blanket, one responder broke the window to shatter all of the glass. Then the “jaws of life” tool was used one the car door to pry it open. They went through the process to carefully remove the teen from the car and onto the stretcher to then be taken to the hospital via the ambulance.

Then, all of the observing students were then told to go back inside to continue the series of scenes. The next scene was the hospital room where nurses and doctors prepare for the incoming patients from the accident. They went through the process of a body examination, talking with the patient, and informing the parents.

The next scene was the funeral scene. A casket was present along with her parents. A slideshow was put together with pictures of Rebecca and her friends and family. Then, the scene after that was the courtroom scene. The driver that was distracted and caused the accident was sentenced to jail. After that, the production was over.

I felt that the “mock accident” was very beneficial. It made me realize that you do have to worry about yourself driving well, but also worry about others driving safely, too. It is sad to think that one needs to constantly check other drivers around themselves for hazards or signs of bad driving. I think the fact that the presentation used some students from our own grade and students we may know closely created a deeper connection to the accident. It definitely made me focus in more to the message that they were trying to provide. I definitely had a hard time watching one of my friends being taken out of the car by medical assistance and being put onto a stretcher three feet in front of me. I would definitely recommend doing this each year for the junior classes. I would also encourage people to really focus on safe driving and helping others do the same.