COURIER photo/Gabriel Fenoy

Police respond to the scene of the mock crash in front of CHS on Wednesday.

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Simulation sends shockwave through high school campus

It’s 11 a.m. and on Indian Hill Boulevard in between the front of Claremont High School and the Claremont Golf Course are two mangled vehicles.

One is a white Plymouth Voyager containing two unconscious teenage passengers and a confused, impaired teenage driver. The other vehicle, a dark red Buick Regal, contains a father and daughter likewise unconscious and lifeless.

Fortunately for the people involved and the junior and senior Claremont High School students, faculty and staff looking on, the mock collision scene along with a host of other activities was part of a two-day program entitled Every 15 Minutes, an educational experience designed to bring to light the dangers associated with driving while impaired.

“I’m really happy that we do it,” said Claremont Unified School District Superintendent David Cash. “If we save one life, then it is worth everything that’s done.”

This year’s program was coordinated by CHS Assistant Principal Felipe Delvasto, who had a host of volunteers that included students, staff and other community members. While the crash and the ensuing activities were staged, one element of the experience that remains genuine is the emotion that is felt by the participants and spectators.

“Our hope is that this will encourage the students to think about the impact of driving while impaired,” said CHS Principal Brett O’Connor. “This is something that effects all of us.”

Before the crash

Wednesday morning seemed just like any other school morning until suddenly multiple classrooms received a visit from the grim reaper, played by volunteer Chris Neal. Leading up to the crash, the grim reaper walked into classroom after classroom, calling out student after student every 15 minutes to represent how often people die from impaired driving-related accidents.

“The main thing for me was to make it as real as possible,” Mr. Neal said. “When I walked into a classroom, sometimes the kids were laughing and I would wait until it got quiet and they started thinking of what I was going to do.”

Once the student was led out of the classroom, the student wore white makeup and was not allowed to speak or interact with other students for the rest of the school day. Immediately following a student’s exit from class, an obituary was read of the student and then posted on the classroom door. In total, more than 20 students received a visit from the grim reaper on Wednesday morning.

“There was a couple of people that got called out that are my friends and it was a lot different not having them around and being able to joke with them throughout the day,” said Aaron Martyn, a CHS junior.

Tombstones were located within the center part of the CHS campus that represented all of the students that the grim reaper had claimed on Wednesday morning. Yet the tombstones became a secondary interest temporarily when CHS juniors and seniors were dismissed to see the crash scene on Indian Hill Boulevard.  (story continues below)   

The crash scene

Before the spectators had an opportunity to consider what had happened, sirens were soon the overwhelming sound as Claremont police officers came onto the scene. Minutes later, as the driver of the Plymouth Voyager (CHS junior Straton Haro) was taken to one of the cars in handcuffs and later to jail, Los Angeles County Fire Department fire engines and Cole Schaefer ambulances arrived for the 4 victims that were unconscious in the two vehicles.

Once the flashes of red lights came onto the scene, the chatter that had been prevalent among the spectators turned to silence as the paramedics and firefighters rushed to get the 4 people out of the car. The Los Angeles County Coroner and S&J Towing were also part of the emergency response.

At approximately 11:20 a.m., a helicopter flew in and airlifted the driver of the Buick Regal (CHS senior Sarah Webner) to Pomona Valley Hospital.

“I had no idea of what it was going to be like and I had no idea how intense it was going to be,” Sarah said.  “Sitting in the car, I was calm but once I heard my friends—who played the witnesses—screaming and heard my mom crying when I was in the hospital, it became so real.”

By 11:30, the helicopter had lifted off and the police cars, fire trucks and ambulances followed. All that was left were police officers sweeping up the glass off the street but the incident had already made an impression.

“Although it was staged, that is exactly what happens every day in terms of response,” Claremont PD Traffic Bureau Supervisor Sergeant Mike Ciszek told the CHS students on Thursday. “This is something that we see every day and would rather not have occur. We don’t want anyone to become one of these statistics.”

The Webner Family

Wednesday’s simulation had a considerable impact on the Webner family. With CHS teacher Tony Webner and his daughter Sarah playing the fatal victims in the Buick Regal and Mr. Webner’s other daughter Kaitlyn being one of the students chosen by the grim reaper, April 2, 2008 was one day that the family may never forget.

While Mr. Webner, Sarah and Kaitlyn joined the other participants at the Shilo Inn Hotel in Pomona to reflect on the day’s experiences, Polly Webner went to sleep that night without the 3 other members of her family. Ms. Webner was also one of the multiple parents who received the news of their deceased child on Wednesday but instead of only dealing with just one loss, she had to cope with 3.

“It was frightening, overwhelming and real,” Ms. Webner explained. “I am a medical person but I couldn’t be clinical when I saw my daughter at the hospital. This was very personal and was intense. They really did a great job and I felt every moment of this. I didn’t sleep last night and something like this makes you rethink the choices that you’ve made in life.”

To have an adult within the mock collision was a decision by Mr. Delvasto, who felt that it would expand the program beyond just how students are affected when an alcohol-related accident occurs. Choosing an adult who is also a CHS teacher reinforced the possibility that anyone can be involved in a drunk-driving crash.

“The kids aren’t the only ones that die,” the CHS assistant principal pointed out. “Parents and teachers also die from these types of accidents.”

According to Sarah, having her father in the simulation made the experience for her a more personal one.

“Having my dad in it was very effective because the victims aren’t just teens but this can happen to a whole family,” she said.

The school assembles

The culminating activity during the two-day Every 15 Minutes program is the assembly that comes the following morning after the previous day’s events and is an emotional time for all involved. On Thursday morning, CHS juniors and seniors along with parents, CUSD school board members and others packed the school’s East Gym.

Staying up all night to finish its video presentation for Thursday’s assembly, Deborah Conow’s video production class put together a nearly 15-minute video that highlighted the events throughout the day on Wednesday. The assembly, that also contained a coffin near the video screen courtesy of Todd’s Mortuary, also featured a time for students, parents, community members and police officers to share their experiences with the audience.

One testimony that moved people to tears was that of 2007 CHS graduate Hal Hargrave Jr., who was involved in a non alcohol-related truck accident that left him with a broken neck, broken back and broken shoulder at the time.

“When I walked into this gym two years ago, I thought I was invincible,” Mr. Hargrave Jr. said. “If I had one regret, I wouldn’t have sat here two years ago and joked around with my friends about this assembly.” (story continues below)

COURIER photo/Gabriel Fenoy

Polly Webner sits next to her daughter, CHS senior Sarah Webner, at Pomona Valley Hospital after she is pronounced dead by doctors.

A lasting impression

A great deal of emotion was shown by students, parents, school staff and others on Thursday morning as the full reality of the day that they had experienced previously had set in. Tears flowed, hugs were exchanged and the atmosphere became solemn.

According to Sarah, it was at the assembly that she felt her peers began to fully understand what the two-day program was about.

“Today, a lot of the students took it more seriously,” the CHS senior said. “Yesterday, I didn’t feel like we were getting the point across. Today, I could see that people were affected by it.”

While Every 15 Minutes is geared toward high school juniors and seniors, Mr. Webner also hopes that the event will also cause adults to take more notice about the dangers of driving impaired.

“It was an amazing experience and I hope adults were listening too,” he said. “There are so many adults who say ‘I know my limit’ and get into the car impaired. So many times we’re preaching to the kids and not practicing what we preach so I think adults can take something from this.”

As for Aaron Martyn, the message that was presented was loud and clear.

“I thought it was really strong and it really hit everyone,” he said. “I think it’s definitely going to get people to think twice about driving drunk and they should continue to do things like this to get the message across.”  

      

—Landus Rigsby