Thursday, April 30th was a S.A.D.D. day at Rising Sun High School.
Two days before the annual high school prom, two students were pronounced dead and another aircared after a two vehicle crash was staged in front of the school on South Henrietta Street.
Facebook lit up with concerns on what happened at the high school.
Fortunately it was a mock disaster, which is put on every few years by the Students Against Destructive Decisions, with the help of the Rising Sun Police Department, Ohio County Sheriff Department, Ohio County EMS, Ohio County Coroner and StatFlight.
However – the message was real.
Just ask Helen Adams.
While her daughter Lana Webb took photos of the presentation, she was noticeably concerned knowing her granddaughter Erin Webb was one of the two ‘deceased’ students after going through the passenger window…even when Coroner Cliff Thies and assistant Bobbie Hastings pronounced her ‘dead’.
Retired teacher Marsha Louden portrayed Webb’s shocked mom, arriving on the scene and had to be restrained by Frank McIntosh.
Cody Bruce was the ‘victim’ in the other vehicle.
A baby (one of those used by students on how to care for them) was on board the van and survived.
Editor’s note: While moving around the scene, I didn’t see the baby taken out of the van. The first thing that came to my mind was recent events where parents had been arrested for doing drugs with their child in their car.
Bailey Baker was aircared for her injuries. Kinzie Scott’s injuries weren’t as serious.
Driver Jamie Williams was arrested and RSPD’s Frank McIntosh as sheriff deputy Zach Brown took accident scene photos.
The scene was far too familiar for English teacher/SADD sponsor Kevin Wirsch who shared real life experiences with the student body while a student at East Central High School, which had a string of car fatalities in the 1990s and events that changed his life style choice.
The event is training for emergency response, something they hope will never need.
Things of note:
- First to arrive on the scene, fellow students took beer cans out of the car, concerned (like Wirsch said later) that when in a wreck first concern is about being arrested.
- The 21st Century and cell phones may have saved a life by being able to call 911.
– Noticed that you have many experienced firefighters.
- Youth are involved with the in EMS, even high school students assisting the squad.
- The prom was held Saturday, May 2nd, and there were no incidents reported.