By ROBIN SHANNON

L’Observateur

LAPLACE – With prom night on the horizon in St. John Parish, juniors and seniors from the four parish high schools were treated to a vivid but valuable lesson regarding the dangers of drunken driving.

Officials from the St. John Sheriff’s and fire department joined with representatives from State Police and Acadian Ambulance to produce a mock crash last week on the grounds of St. Charles Catholic High School in LaPlace. Students from East St. John High, West St. John High, Riverside Academy and St. Charles Catholic High played the roles of teenagers involved in a crash after a night of drinking at prom parties.

“We try to stage the events every two years and only invite juniors and seniors so that no one has to go through it twice,” said Susan Szush, community relations representative for Acadian Ambulance. “This performance is as true to life as it can be. Our goal is to emphasize to these kids the deadly consequences of drinking and driving.”

According to figures from State Police, 815 people were killed on roadways in Louisiana in 2009. More than half of those fatalities were alcohol related.

“The numbers have decreased from 2008, but we still have a lot of work to do,” said State Police Master Trooper Christopher Maurin. “It is incredibly jarring, but that is the reality of these incidents.”

Szush explained that organizers select two students from each school to play the roles of the teens in the crash. They are shown a film on DWI accidents and then spend several weeks practicing the script of the staged crash.

Szush said the wreck usually involves two vehicles with three serious injuries and one fatality.

“We typically see a wide range of reactions from the students in the audience,” Szush said. “They start out laughing at their classmates, but once we get down to taking away the deceased student in a body bag and hearse, the mood gets very solemn and silent.”

Following the wreck, which also involves students getting taken away by ambulance and airlifted via helicopter, the driver is arrested, charged and taken away in handcuffs. The driver is then brought to trial and given a sentence.

When the performance concluded Thursday, St. John Sheriff Wayne Jones addressed the students in the audience with a message of responsibility.

“One of the most difficult things I have had to do in my 16 years as Sheriff is notify a family member of the death of a child,” Jones said. “It all comes down to responsibility. Remember this day and remember what you saw before you get behind the wheel after a night of drinking.”