Mock Crash

In 2014 2,270 teens, ages 14-19, were killed in motor vehicle accidents, and 221,313 received emergency medical treatment for injuries caused from accidents. About a quarter of these accidents resulted from the driver drinking underage. NHS recognized this problem and decided to stage a “mock crash” in hopes of showing students the raw and horrific consequences of driving under the influence.

Students were first shown a video of seniors smoking and drinking seniors at a party. One senior, Jade Maljojoki, asked if anyone wanted to grab a bite to eat, and a few of her friends agreed to go for a ride to McDonald's. The four seniors, Jared Thorbahn, Patrick Hennessey, Jade Maljojoki and Ryan Horan, began driving and listening to music, when suddenly the car got out of control and we were left to hear the sounds of a crash.

Students were then lead outside to find the car totaled with the four injured students inside and an audio of the 911 call was also played. We then began to hear sirens of approaching police cars, fire trucks and ambulances. Upon the arrival of emergency vehicles, police officers began questioning Ryan and performed a sobriety test, while firefighters broke the windshields and used the jaws of life to remove Patrick and Jade from the car. As the mock crash came to an end, students watched Patrick put into an ambulance, Ryan being arrested and Jade being put into a hearse.

After the crash, students listened to a speaker who was driving under the influence and got into an accident that killed his two close friends. The speaker told of the struggles he has faced after the accident, including coping with the loss of his friends, his immeasurable guilt, recovering from his injuries and spending time in jail. The speaker’s life was forever changed after the accident, preventing him from joining the Coast Guard, driving to a job and simply dealing with his guilt every day. I thought it was important for students to hear the speaker because it shows how one mistake can follow you through the rest of your life, and that if he made a smarter decision, his life would have been completely different.

I thought that our seniors did an amazing job of portraying the reality of a car crash, showing students the damage and tragedy caused from driving under the influence. The mock crash showed me how something similar can happen to anyone, and effectively conveyed the message of driving responsibly. I also had the opportunity to speak with Jade Maljojoki about her thoughts and experience of participating in the mock crash.

Caroline Twombly: How was the mock crash organized? Did someone come to you with the idea or did students bring up the idea?

Jade Maljojoki: The way we were asked was that Mr. Fish basically called us down to his office, seeing if we were interested in participating in it. I don’t exactly know how they arranged the whole thing, but I think they asked four different students from different groups who did different things to show that this can happen to anyone. Officer Phelps pretty much planned the whole thing with us, he also took the video of the fake party scene.

CT: Did the mock crash fulfill your expectations of what an actual car accident is like?

JM: I don't know, because I have never been in a car crash, but it definitely did shock me. Talking about it before I was like, ‘I’m so pumped, this is going to be so much fun’ and then when we were actually in the car and just waiting under the tarp, we were thinking ‘Oh my god, this is extremely crazy.’ Some of us were even crying, and were really touched by this.

CT: What part of the crash stood out the most to you and why?

JM: I don’t know, only because I didn't really see any of it or notice any of the crash because I was supposed to be dead. But I think it was really interesting to watch the video afterwards and see how they didn’t really take care of me and moved on to the other people, but of course they were going to take care of someone who was still alive. I think that was really interesting to see afterwards, but the whole thing was pretty crazy and overwhelming.

CT: What was your hope of what would come out of participating in the mock crash?

JM: My hope was to experience and understand this, and to show others what it can be like. I think we definitely got the point across, and a lot of people were touched.

CT: (Everyone has been wondering) What happened after you went into the hearse?

JM: So the guys driving said ‘Wow so I’m not used to having people alive in the back,’ and I just froze up and was like ‘Dead people have been in here? You could have told me that afterwards!’ Basically I was put in the hearse and they drove me around the school and my parents had to pick me up.