As part of a Destructive Decisions Awareness Week at Sidney Central School, the district held a mock crash at the transportation center on Friday.
The week was to bring attention to positive decision-making as another school year comes to a close. Other activities during the week included distractive and impaired driving simulators, the New York State Police roll over and convincer simulators, and activities hosted by the Sidney Students Against Destructive Decisions (SSADD) club.
The mock crash served as a culmination of the week. The crash was a DWI and distracted driving crash.
The scenario is centered on a two-car collision staged with Sidney SSADD members. The four students involved gave those watching a first-hand perspective of what happens at the scene and what the consequences of impaired and distracted driving may result in.
The crash opened with one student wandering following the accident, pounding on the window of the second car, trying to get reactions. The mock crash happened in real-time, so students watched as the scene unfolded. After several minutes, emergency crews were on the scene. Police also came, and took the impaired driver aside – giving a multitude of tests. Emergency personnel worked on the other vehicle, freeing the students and ushering them into ambulances. The mock crash also showed how not everybody makes it through an accident, as the passenger was placed under a sheet as a funeral director came to take her away.
The emotional scene took about an hour, and showed the reality of what can happen in accidents.
Sidney High School would like to thank the following agencies for their participation and assistance with this event: Sidney Central School District and Board of Education, Sidney High School SSADD club, Village of Sidney Police Department, Sidney Fire and EMS, Village of Sidney Department of Public Works, the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office, Delaware County Stop DWI, Delaware County Emergency Services, Delaware County District Attorney's Office, Life Net of New York, C. H. Landers Funeral Home, R.C. Sales, State University of New York Upstate Medical University, Tri-Town Regional Hospital, and the New York State Police at Troop C. Without such amazing support from the community this experience would not have been possible for our students.