By WMBD-TV
DOWNS – Students at Tri-Valley schools took a break from class Thursday to learn a serious lesson.
Local police fire and EMS departments staged a mock drunk driving crash in front of the high school in Downs. Bloodied student actors were pulled from the wreckage and treated by emergency personnel, a life-flight helicopter was called in to assist.
With prom season around the corner, school officials hope the message sinks in.
“I think today what they learned was, what happens when we text and drive or drink and drive, people lose lives and people are hurt and it leaves scars that last forever,” Downs fire chief Mike Manint told WMBD-TV.
The school held an assembly after the exercise with police and firemen giving first-hand accounts of accidents they’ve responded to.
“I was really impressed with how seriously they took this. hopefully, this impacted some of our kids while they were observing today,” Tri-Valley High School Principal Ben Derges said.