PICTURES ARE ARE FROM A MOCK CRASH AND ARE GRAPHIC - PLEASE BE ADVISED
The messageMock Crash would not be possible with out the committment and cooperation of the local law enforcement, emergency services, CVU administration and team, volunteers, and CY staff. We are so thankful to those who help out and make this possible. It is a very important message and one that we feel is meaningful. It is not meant to be a fear tactic but a educational exercise. The hope is to let students know that they have the power to be safe and to ensure they make it home every day and night by making decisions to wear their seat belt, to not be distracted or under the influence.
About this mock crashCentral Service Towing and Recovery donated two previously crashed cars which were used to set the stage for the Mock Crash. Four student and two staff volunteers were made up to look like crash victims using moulage stage make up, applied by student Emma Flore. All of the volunteer actors were mic’d and took their places in the crash scene as their classmates exited the school and viewed the crash scene. The students’ vehicle was “driven” by junior Brayden Bartlett from Williston. His front seat passenger Shea Dunlop, a senior from Hinesburg, was strewn across the hood of the vehicle as if ejected through the windshield. In the back seat sophomore Clayton Thorpe and senior Lucy Mathews, both Hinesburg residents, also portrayed injured accident victims. The other vehicle was “driven” by volunteer actor and science teacher John Ellison and his passenger was Rahn Fleming, Director of the CVU Learning Center, who was also “injured”.
CVU juniors and seniors were escorted to the hill in front of the school to witness the results of the mock accident. Approximately 600 CVU juniors and seniors looked on in silence, taking in the scene. As they did, more than 40 emergency services personnel from Charlotte, Hinesburg, Shelburne, and Williston started arriving on the scene sirens blaring. As they arrived, fire and rescue personnel went to work extricating “injured” students from the car. As the emergency response to the crash unfolded, Chief Frank Koss narrated the action and early on pronounced senior Shea Dunlop “dead at the scene”. While Fleming was transported from the scene in an ambulance, Thorpe and Mathews communicated with the emergency personnel from the back seat of the car as they were covered with a tarp to keep them safe during the extrication process. The back seat windows were smashed, before emergency responders utilized the Jaws of Life to cut off the top of the car to make extracting the student actors possible. The students were transported from the scene in ambulances while Shea Dunlop remained covered by a white sheet for the duration of the demonstration. As the Mock Crash came to a close, student actor Brayden Bartlett was taken through a series of field sobriety tests and arrested for “driving while intoxicated, death resulting”. Bartlett was put in handcuffs and taken from the scene in a Shelburne Police cruiser. |
MOCK CRASH AT CVUHS ON MAY 8, 2018Students from Champlain Valley Union High School participated in a mock car crash Tuesday, May 8, 2018. That morning juniors and seniors have the opportunity to attend the mock crash, a staged reenactment that shows the tragedies that can result from distracted and impaired driving. This crash is a way to continue educating and impacting students heading into this prom and graduation season.
This would not be possible without the help of local law enforcement and emergency services who help with all the coordination and the actual crash and rescue. The students will be on the outer banks of the road, the road will be shut down, and a mc will be walking them through what is happening and the emergency call. It is our programs hope that by doing the mock crash it will provide another opportunity to increase youth awareness of the dangers involved with drinking and driving. have the conversationIt is important for parents to become involved in conversation with their kids following the presentation, and before upcoming events like the prom and graduation. The SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions) contract for life can be found here, and is a great way to help facilitate the conversation and setting expectations.
after the mock crashAfter the crash students are brought back to the gym where all of the local law enforcement and emergency services personnel, the volunteers, the CVU administration and team and staff talk about the crash, talk about real life, statistics and share personal true stories. It is very moving to hear others talk about what happened to them, the phone call no parent ever wants to get and why it is important to wear your seat belt, to not get distracted when driving and to make good choices.
Principal Adam Bunting spoke with students about the scene that they witnessed and asked them “What promise will you make after seeing the mock crash?” Student responses included “I will not drink and drive” “I will think about how my decisions will affect other people’s safety, as well as my own” “I commit to keeping my friends safe by encouraging good choice and being a model for healthy behavior.” These messages were posted on the wall in the gym and will also be displayed at the prom on May 12, 2018. 
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Photos - maybe graphic, mock crash is a re-enactment and no one was hurt
what's next: May of 2019 there will be a mock trIAl from the crash that happened on may 8, 2018
The mock crash sets the scene for next year, when there will be a mock trial. The trial takes place a year after the crash which takes you through the consequences of the crash. There is a real judge, lawyers, law enforcement, witnesses that participate in the mock trial.
