West Grove Fire Company firefighters and EMTs, along with area partners from Medic 94 and the Avondale State Police, conducted a very realistic mock crash at the Avon Grove High School this morning. The mock crash is designed to simulate a real, deadly car crash to help drive home the lessons of how dangerous distracted and drunk driving can be, particularly for young people.

The WGFC has been holding mock crash demonstrations at the high school for decades -- each designed to showcase the risks and potentially deadly results from drunk driving. As the use of mobile devices has increased, the mock crashes have been modified to also bring in the risks of distracted driving -- and how anything that can take attention away from driving can risk a crash, injury, and even death. Such distractions can include looking at phones, listening to music, or having a car full of friends that might take away from the serious responsibility of driving. The AG chapter of SADD -- Students Against Destructive Decisions -- helped coordinate the event and served as victims as well.

For this morning's simulation, students were made up with stage makeup called moulage to make their injuries realistic, including the use of stage blood. The goal of the makeup is to help the audience see the reality of these crashes. Student victims were then placed in two wrecked cars supplied by Blittersdorf Towing of Toughkenamon. The cars were positioned in the high school parking lot, and the victims were positioned to simulate a car full of "distracted" teenagers that struck a second car. In the second car were three victims, two of which were simulated to be partially ejected through the windshield from the force of the crash, and one simulated victim in the rear seat trapped with a serious head injury. The cars were then covered with large tarps to hide them from the students.

The students from the high school -- juniors and seniors -- came out to the parking lot. As the SADD volunteers removed the tarps, silence fell upon the audience of 200 students as they suddenly were seeing the destruction in front of them. With that, and with a narrator describing the scene and the reason for the crash, the West Grove Fire Company arrived with lights and sirens to begin the rescue response.

Over the course of the next 15 minutes, firefighters, EMTs, and paramedics demonstrated a full scene rescue for the students. Rescue technicians used hydraulic and battery powered tools -- some called the "Jaws of Life"-- to remove doors, cut windows and metal, remove the car roof and ultimately rescue the entrapped student. Meanwhile, State Troopers interviewed the distracted student, performed a field sobriety test and arrested the drunk student driver. Throughout the demonstration, the students watched carefully, experiencing up close the reality of drunk driving crashes. The lessons were real and impactful, especially when they learned the one student driver's poor decisions cost the lives of two young people -- victims who were right in front of them.

After the drill was completed, the students were able to approach the cars, see the damage up close, and interview those involved in the rescue. While it is impossible to know the actual impact of these mock crashes have on students, even one student who chooses to avoid distracted driving or drinking on prom night -- any decision like that is worth the hours of planning and execution needed to pull off such a detailed mock crash.

The WGFC would like to express its thanks to the SADD volunteers, the staff and administration of the AG High School, and our partners at Medic 94, the State Police, and Blittersdorf Towing for all of their help to pull off the 2023 Mock Crash.