Fatal crash staged near Brawley High to warn students of impaired driving

BRAWLEY-Authorities and Brawley Union High School students Thursday staged a fatal crash that they hope will send a strong message to teens about the hazards of driving while impaired.

Crowds of high school students gathered near the corner of Seventh and B streets, where a two-vehicle crash was staged as part of the national “Every 15 Minutes” program.

The program, which lasts two days, is aimed at showing teenage drivers what can happen when an impaired driver gets behind the wheel of a vehicle.

The program is named after the statistic that every 15 minutes someone dies from an alcohol-related vehicle collision. The second day of the program would include a mock trial, Brown said.

“The hardest part of this is getting everyone together,” said Luis A. Brown, a prevention specialist with the Imperial County Office of Education.

While the project took six to nine months to coordinate, Brown credited the California Highway Patrol, the Brawley Police Department, the Brawley Fire Department and other agencies for helping make the simulated crash scene happen.

The scene buzzed with activity as firefighters, paramedics and authorities did what they normally do during the scene of a fatal crash.

One group of firefighters extracted an “injured” teen from a wrecked car using the Jaws of Life, while a group of officers detained a teenage motorist suspected of driving under the influence.

Student actors pretended to be dead during the mock commotion while others were carried on a stretcher to a waiting ambulance. Even a REACH helicopter landed on a nearby field to enhance the dramatic impact of the simulated crash.

But while some of the students found the whole scenario amusing, the import of the program’s message was not lost on Brawley Police Chief Mark Gillmore.

“We do this in real life during more graduations than we care to remember,” Gillmore said. “I hope these students realize the dangers of alcohol and drugs.”