The crash scene seemed real. Sirens, smoke, emergency personnel, and students being removed from smashed cars and taken away by ambulance. The event ended with students attending a mock funeral.
The morning’s activities were all part of a motor vehicle accident demonstration drill hosted by several Ottumwa organizations. OHS juniors and seniors participated in a program entitled Distracted/Impaired Driving: Know the Consequences. The program focused on making teen drivers aware of the consequences that come from driving distracted or impaired. This includes drinking, texting, vaping, or any other type of distraction while operating a motor vehicle.
The drill was the suggestion of Sadie Monaghan, a mother and nurse with two teens at OHS. She approached OHS staff in April about the possibility of hosting a drill for Ottumwa students. Collaborating with school officials and several local agencies, a distracted driving drill was created.
More than 10 community organizations were involved in planning this event, including the Ottumwa Police Department, Wapello County Sheriff’s Department, Indian Hills Paramedic Program, Wapello County Emergency Management, Ottumwa Fire Department, Wapello County Rural Fire Department, Reece Funeral Home, Southern Iowa Mental Health Center, Deran’s Towing, KTVO, Hy-Vee, Edd the Florist, and local media partners. The live simulation was designed to help students understand that their actions could have grave consequences. Programs such as this are available across the country but community members decided to pool their resources and create their own program for Ottumwa youth.
Students were released for the drill this morning, with a mock accident scene in progress when they arrived at the OHS pit area. The drill included a graphic, real-life scene of a motor vehicle accident with injuries ranging from minor to severe, including a mock-fatality. After students witnessed the aftermath of the mock accident, they returned to the OHS auditorium to attend the mock-funeral of one of the accident victims.
The event seemed real to one of the student participants. Senior Cole Denner was in an accident last year due to a distracted driver. He feels lucky that his injuries were not more serious. The participants hope they made the event seem real for their peers.
