Students Learn the ‘!mpact’ of Drunken, Irresponsible Driving

It wasn't long before Matoaka Kipp and Hannah Pidgeon were covered in blankets in the Mazda — surrounded by crunching metal, breaking glass and the scurry of emergency officials scrambling to get them out.

"I was terrified when I heard them smash the window," Kipp said. 

But the scenario only worsened. Just feet from them, a classmate lay unresponsive on the hood of a minivan and another was being hauled into a cruiser for drunken driving. 

Fortunately the situation was only a DUI simulation, though the crunching metal and breaking glass were real. The girls played passengers in a crash simulation at Thursday, while Ralph Holley played the role of the dead teen on the van and Jon Cahill the drunken driver. Jordan Boyman also played the role of passenger.  

Fellow students watched as the scenario played out, complete with actual smashed up cars provided by Stuart's in Barkhamsted, the town Police Department, firefighters, EMTs and fire police from the town of Canton Volunteer Fire and EMS Department, Hartford Hospital's LifeStar Helicopter and even a hearse from Vincent Funeral Home.  

The scene quickly became a whirlwind of activity, with an officer's initial response followed by a flurry of activity as firefighters used a hydraulic Holmatro rescue attachments to pry, cut and bend the metal of the car to access the "victims." Students were even taken out on stretchers, Cahill escorted to the back of a cruiser and Holley into the rear of the hearse. 

"To be in it definitely drove home the experience," Kipp said. 

For Pidgeon, it was especially poignant. She recently lost a cousin in a car crash and yet still participated and agreed it was intense.

"I was actually really nervous and just thinking what it felt like," she said. "It was a really moving experience and I learned a lot. I can honestly say I will never drink and drive."

About 20 members of the town of Canton Volunteer Fire and EMS Department participated in the simulation, including fire police, cadets, firefighters and EMTs. Also there was the Police Department's detective, Kevin Wilkinson and other members of the department. Prior to the emergency personnel met at the Collinsville Fire station with A-EMT Colin Narducci, who coordinated the simulation. An ambulance crew from New Hartford planned to participate but had to respond to an emergency in that town. 

Although the drill was coordinated and the cars set up ahead of time, the scene was realistic, although the blood was fake and spectators allowed closer than normal. 

During the simulation, Narducci used a loudspeaker to drive home certain points to the students, including the sobering fact that he has been to real scenes much like the one in front of them. 

Narducci said he thinks the simulation helped and thanked all involved.

"I think visuals give people a good perspective," he said. 

Later in the day, students also got a chance to hear firsthand how one driving incident can change and take lives. 

East Windsor native David Graham told the students how in 2005, he hopped in his car with his girlfriend's two brothers, Matthew and Andrew Daigle. Though he doesn't remember it, a device in his car showed he was traveling over 100 miles per hour shortly before his car lost control, hit another vehicle and ran into two trees. Matthew Daigle, a senior at East Windsor High School, was pronounced dead at arrival to the hospital. Andrew was seriously injured.

Graham said he must have been showing off — one mistake that cost a life as well as his relationship, his extended family and resulted in some jail time.

Graham told the students in detail about the horrors of it all and how a decision can impact so many lives. 

"There isn't a day that goes by that I don't wish I were dead and Matt were here," Graham said. 

Graham spoke at the school as part of Mourning Parents ACT, Inc., also known as !MPACT, a Connecticut non-profit that provides the service free of charge. 

Mostly made up of parents who have lost children in accidents, the organization looks to prevent tragedies by reaching out to students. As part of his presentation, Graham also gave some sobering statistics, such as the fact that 5,000 teens are killed each year in car crashes, the leading cause of death for ages 15 to 19. 

He also listed reasons for crashes, such as driver error, speed, lack of seat belts, drunken driving and distractions. The last is quickly becoming the biggest causes and is a problem among all age groups, especially with texting and talking on portable devices. 

He urged students to put the phones in the trunk or elsewhere out of the way while driving. 

"There's no phone call, text message or e-mail that you can possibly take or make that's worth losing your life over," he said.