One of the passengers was partially ejected from the vehicle. He was pronounced dead at the scene. A passenger in the other car had facial lacerations. Both drivers were incapacitated until emergency services could extract them.
As the scene unfolded, the student body of Waterville-Elysian-Morristown (WEM) and Tri-City United (TCU) High Schools watched. The mock crash was held at the Le Sueur County Fairgrounds on Thursday morning.
While the event was staged, it was all too real for the emergency services responding. “We’re responding to these types of calls day in and day out,” Sheriff Brett Mason told the students. “This is reality. We’ve had over 400 fatality deaths in the last year in the state of Minnesota. In our small county alone…we’ve had seven deaths.”
The mock crash took place ahead of homecoming, which is taking place this week for both high schools. The mock crash is typically held ahead of the prom in the spring, but inclement weather in April caused it to be postponed until this school year.
Student Council Gabe LaCanne (WEM) and Presidents Neysa Anderson (TCU) said some words before the exercise began. They introduced the scene, what was at stake, and what victims’ families would have to live with in the aftermath.
Le Sueur County Emergency Management Director Tammy Stewig narrated the scene as it unfolded. She described how the driver of one car reached for their phone to send a text. The car crossed into the center line and hit another head-on.
Students participating in the crash were WEM juniors Jacob Androli and Tarek Tolzman and TCU students Eli Morales and Abigail Grant. TCU teacher Andrew Meier also participated as a bystander.
After the “accident,” emergency responders followed normal protocols to show how an accident scene is handled. Firefighters extracted the trapped victims. They were then...
To see more on this story please pick up the October 3, 2024 LifeEnterprise paper.
Mock crash demonstrates dangers of distracted driving
