Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
Mock Accident Hits Home With Students
Keith Jones from Cantrell Funeral Home, third from left, participated in a mock trauma accident at Kimball Jr/Sr High School as he picked up one of the students who "died" in an impaired driving accident. Nebraska State Patrol officers were on the scene to help and talk to the students. Lower photo: Using State Patrol "drunk goggles," student Katie Kilgore's attempts to walk a straight line in her part in the mock accident. In his role, Kimball Police Andrew Lawson gave her a field sobriety test.
Agencies throughout the area came together to provide a learning experience for Kimball High School students and a chance to work in unison. Kimball Health Services used the mock accident at Kimball Jr./Sr. High School to practice for a mass casualty.
The event involved the Kimball County Sheriff's Office and dispatch, Kimball Volunteer Fire Department, Nebraska State Patrol, Kimball Health Services EMS, Kimball Police Department, Air Link, UC Health Lifeline and Cantrell Funeral Home. Others involved were Rick Wynne setting up the accident scene, Region 21, Brandon Loy and Kerry Ferguson. Lexi Haug was the contact person and Heather Gawith prepared the students with their "injuries."
Activities culminated with Tammy Wheeler from Scottsbluff speaking about the death and loss of her daughter, Alexis, 18 at the hands of a drunk driver.
The brainchild of Alicia Downey and Mike Downey, the mock accident involved Kimball High School students, and the common goal for all the agencies was if "we can stop one kid from getting in a car after drinking or being with someone who has been drinking, then we have been successful."
KHS student Hannah Kilgore said, "It really made me think of how much a "fun time" could turn into the worst moment of your life in an instant. I think it definitely did impact others for sure."
With the use of Nebraska State Patrol "drunk goggles," both Katie Kilgore and Trey Schindler were "arrested."
Trey expressed, "This could be anyone of us if we choose that path, and I am glad we had that experience for everyone to see the situation that can happen when you go behind the wheel drunk or what can happen when someone else is drunk and driving."
Katie said, "Seeing the EMS and first responders not only saving me but saving my "dead" friends was a shocking experience. It seemed so real and scary being involved in it. I learned that impaired driving impacts not only the driver but the other passengers, people on the road, and the families involved. It opened my eyes to how important safe driving is and showed me that impaired driving is never an option."
Jasmine Gawith's reflection about being "injured" was heartfelt.
She said, "Being in a household with a first responder, I've learned so much about what injuries could occur. I've also been one to ask if I could put my feet on the dash before, and I completely learned my lesson, even in a mock accident."
Other students involved in the pre-prom and graduation enactment were Derrick Kaufman, Ryker Behrend, Xaiver Thomas-Lewis, Emma Patterson and Charlotte Hargreaves.
Charlotte Hargreaves described the impact that the mock accident had on her. "You don't get to redo someone's life once it's gone. While I was laying in the pickup and everyone around me was acting, it was scary. No one ever wants to be in a position like that. When they started to cut Jasmine out of the pickup by cutting the door off and breaking the window, it was really loud and realistic (obviously), but more in a sense that it put you in the mindset of how it would be if it were real."
