CEDAR GROVE, Wis. — For the first time in more than five years, Flight For Life returns to area high schools to teach teens the dangers of driving recklessly. The medical transporter took part in a mock crash Wednesday at Cedar Grove-Belgium High School.
The scene was a head-on collision with six teens badly hurt and one dead. The mock crash is something Cedar Grove-Belgium High School principal Josh Ketterhagen hopes does not play out this week since it is prom week at school.
“It is probably one of the deadliest times of year for high schools. Kids make poor decisions with prom. They make poor decisions on a lot of weekends, but prom is a big one and they also make poor decisions around graduation,” said Ketterhagen.
Flight for Life’s Ann Mirsberger has seen the results of those decisions firsthand as a flight nurse. It is why she has helped bring Flight For Life’s education program back into schools.
“We see these patients in accidents on scene, we see them in hospitals where we transport them from. I look at those eyes as if those were my own kids and I don’t want to see them on the scene,” said Mirsberger.
According to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, a teen is killed every six days in a crash in the state and they are injured every two hours.
This mock car crash was designed by the area fire departments to emulate what first responders treat here nearly every day.
“Unfortunately, we do have our cases of severe accidents in this area,” said First Assistant Chief Pat Wester, Belgium Fire Department. “The injuries that they have today are very realistic of what we see in an emergency situation.”
The mock crash included a student who was killed because they weren't wearing a seat belt, a teen driver who was arrested for driving drunk, and a student who had to be airlifted for serious injuries. The students who watched the whole program said they were surprised by how it made them feel.
“It makes you think how dangerous it can be to be a distracted driver,” said Joseph Schouder, a junior at Cedar Grove-Belgium High School.
“It is kind of eerie. You hope to never see anyone you know in that situation. It gives a weird feeling in your stomach,” said Nathan Wester, a junior at Cedar Grove-Belgium High School.
“It got me choked up a little bit,” said Jenna Emperley, a senior at Cedar Grove-Belgium High School. “I know people who have gotten into drunk driving accidents. I know people who have drunk drove before or been in accidents like this and some of it hit close to home.”
A big emphasis during the crash was on getting teens to buckle up. Flight for Life says seatbelt use is the lowest among teens and not having a seat belt on during a crash makes you 11 times more likely to die.
It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.
Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.
