Two cars meet head-on, and a teen coming home from prom with her date at the wheel lies dead on the mini-van’s hood after flying through the windshield. There is silence after the impact, then screaming, as two teens in the other car were pinned by the impact and badly hurt. The minivan driver who caused the accident is screaming too, in disbelief and fear as he realizes what he’s done. Then the police arrive on scene and after a field sobriety test, the minivan’s driver is arrested for driving while impaired by marijuana. What if this had been real?

Although this mock car crash at Old Saybrook High School was staged, Police Chief Michael Spera’s opening statement brought reality home. The chief asked everyone to observe a moment of silence to remember Zachary Salomonson, a 16-year Ledyard teen who died the night before in a car crash. He’d been riding as a passenger with a newly licensed driver not legally able yet to carry one. Now, Salomonson’s friends and family are in mourning.

“Zachary was a rising freshman on the track team. Now he will never compete or go to his prom,” said Spera. “What we’re about to show you is [our Police and Fire Department’s] worst nightmare coming clear. Tragedy knows no date, respects no time. Tragedy happens when a poor choice is made.”

Following this statement, the event unfolded in real time, with Spera’s strong narration.

Within 10 minutes of the mock accident, police, the first responders in Old Saybrook, are on the scene. One of the two policeman take the driver aside to administer a sobriety test while the other responder checks on the victims. Very quickly it is determined that the young woman on the mini-van’s hood is dead. But the two teens in the other car are still screaming in pain and bleeding.

The volunteer firefighters arrive on scene. One group works with Jaws of Life to remove the car door to free the pinned and hurt teen driver. It’s already been 20 minutes. Other firefighters work to stabilize the two teens’ medical condition. One of the state’s two LifeStar helicopters has been dispatched to the scene, but it can only take one of the two critically injured teens.

“We’re now 25 minutes into this scene and the people who need help the most are still in the car. Soon we will make a decision as which of the teens will get the fastest trip to the hospital,” said Spera.

Since only one victim can be taken by helicopter, one will need to be taken by ambulance to the nearest trauma center for surgery.

“The crew from Lifestar is approaching the scene. Both of your classmates are critically injured. Could you decide which one of them gets the quick ride to the hospital?” Spera asked. “We made a decision that because we were able to get to her first, we are going to walk her over to the helicopter. But 50 minutes have gone by, and [our training tells us] we had one hour to get them to a trauma center for [lifesaving] surgery.”

The female passenger is freed after 40 minutes and on her way to the helicopter for transport. Not until 45 minutes have elapsed do the firefighters finally remove the driver-side car door. That alone is not enough to free the driver—firefighters also now have to remove and tear back the car’s roof to gain access.

Speaking to the hundred students assembled in front of the school to watch the mock crash unfold, Spera said, “No adult can prevent this. Only you can. These decisions are yours and yours alone. The cause of this tragedy is that someone made a poor choice.”

As the event ended, a hearse arrived to remove the deceased teen’s body from the accident scene.

The mock-car crash event was a senior project of three Old Saybrook Senior High School students, Sloan True, Liam Finnegan, and John Guarnaccia; the three also volunteer as junior firefighters who are called in to help at real-life incident scenes like this one. The students worked in collaboration with the Old Saybrook Police and Fire departments, which assisted with the event’s planning. The goal of the mock accident was to send a strong message to the young adults in the community about the serious dangers of using drugs and alcohol, especially around the spring prom season.