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Students from Luverne and Hills-Beaver Creek high schools gathered on the west end of the Luverne school campus Sept. 21 for an eye-opening experience.
About 450 students witnessed a mock accident to demonstrate the dangers of distracted and impaired driving just days before each school’s homecoming celebration.
The staged event included heavily damaged cars and five LHS students as actors in the scene. The students were wearing make-up to appear as though they had suffered injuries.
Luverne senior Tyson Cowell played the role of a teenage drunk driver who was arrested by School Resource Officer Jeff Stratton.
Kari Lais and Ryan DeBates, the real-life parents of two other student actors, arrived on the scene, playing the roles of scared, upset parents.
The presentation included the arrival of first responders including the Rock County Sheriff's Department, Rock County Ambulance, Luverne Fire Department and Minnesota Highway Patrol.
Fire department members used tools to cut open one of the damaged cars, and those playing the roles of injured victims were taken away in ambulances.
Jeff Hartquist and Grant Robinson from Hartquist Funeral Home also arrived on the scene and took one of the student actors away in a hearse.
Following the accident scene, students moved to the Performing Arts Center and heard a presentation from Matt Logan, who lost his teenage daughter in a distracted driving accident in September of 2012.
The students also heard from a panel of local leaders who discussed how accidents impact families, first responders, schools and the community.
According to organizer Amy Cook, the mock accidents happen every four years.
“We want to be able to keep the events impactful and not too frequent,” Cook said. “By doing it every four years, all LHS and H-BC students will get to experience it one time during high school.”
Cook said she appreciates all of the support that helps make this event possible, including bleachers from the Rock County Fair Board and the sound system from the Luverne Area Chamber of Commerce.
“I am so grateful to live in a community that supports a great event to bring awareness to students and adults about the importance of responsible driving,” Cook said.