WVHS stages mock automobile crash for SADD awareness event

Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) hosted a mock crash last week to bring awareness to distracted and impaired driving among teens. The event was led by SADD co-advisors Mr. Raymond Mark and Ms. Katie Johnson, with involvement from numerous local law enforcement and emergency professionals. With prom and graduation season upon us, the message was particularly timely.

See a slideshow of images from this event after the story.

As the event opened, students circulated around a staged accident scene that depicted the grim circumstances of an alcohol-related automobile crash with fatalities. After taking in the mock crash scene, students sat on the High School lawn to watch a dramatic reenactment of the aftermath, as first responders tended to the victims. Mr. Mark narrated the action as it happened.

The story began with WVHS student Dominic Sirico having signed a “Contract for Life” with his parents. The contract outlined a plan for Dominic to reach out to his parents anytime he needed a ride to remove himself from an unsafe situation. Dominic reached out to his father, WVCSD Athletic Director Greg Sirico, requesting that he come pick him and his friends up from a party because his ride was intoxicated. However, after picking the students up, a car crossed the double yellow lines and hit Mr. Sirico’s car head on.

Mr. Sirico got out of the car and tried to open the passenger doors. He cried out for his son and called for help. The front seat passenger in the oncoming car was partially ejected from the vehicle. Warwick Valley Police arrived on the scene first, followed by Warwick Valley EMS and the Warwick Valley Fire Department. Emergency responders worked tirelessly to extract the children from each car. Using the jaws of life, the children were removed and transported to local hospitals. The Warwick Valley Police performed a breathalyzer test and determined that the driver of the oncoming car was, in fact, intoxicated. He was arrested at the scene.

Following the mock crash, students returned to their classes and, later that day, wrote thoughtful reflections and cited the impacts that the mock crash had on them.

If you would like to sign the Contract for Life with your parents/student, you can find the document here and here (in Spanish).