'Every 15 Minutes’ Drinking And Driving Yield Deadly Brew

It happens every 15 minutes.

In that blink-of-an-eye time span, someone somewhere in the United States will die in an alcohol related traffic accident. There are no second chances. No opportunity to correct the mistake. The results are painfully final and the emotional scars and trauma inflicted on friends, relatives and loved ones will last a lifetime.

Those were the harsh lessons presented Thursday to students at Menomonee Falls High School as part of a nationwide program called ‘Every 15 Minutes.’  The Falls Police and Fire Departments, the Menomonee Falls Education and Recreation Department and Froedtert Health Community Memorial Hospital teamed up to create a simulated fatal traffic accident in the parking lot next to the high school football field.

In the accident, a car collided with a van leaving the driver of the car dead and two passengers thrown from the vehicle.  The driver of the van, senior Dominic Thomas, was cited for drunk driving at the scene and led away in handcuffs.  Fire department personnel then used the Jaws of Life to open a door and remove the body. 

The two injured students were transported to the hospital for mock treatment of their injuries. One was taken by ambulance while the other was flown by the Flight For Life helicopter which had landed on the football field.

While all of this was happening, two students were capturing the action with video cameras.

“I know it’s going to really impact the students,” said Thomas. “It’s pretty powerful from what I’ve seen so far.”

“We’re doing it to show the students that drinking and driving have terrible results,” said Linda Baldus, IEP Team Coordinator for the Menomonee Falls School District.  “It’s a nationwide program. Many districts around the county and in Washington County are doing it.  It’s trying to dissuade students from drinking and driving and what the consequences of that could be.”

Prior to the accident, the unsuspecting students had surprise classroom visits from the “Grim Reaper” who came in and took students selected from a cross-section of the entire student body. One student was removed from class every 15 minutes. Naturally, the student reaction was mixed.

“When the Grim Reaper came into class the first time I saw it, it was surprising,” said junior Emmett Storts. “Then it happened a couple more times and I got used to it. It made me think about how this happens every 15 minutes. I don’t drink and I don’t plan on drinking. If I see someone in my family or know someone that’s going to drink, I will make sure they don’t drive. Since I don’t drink, I’ll offer to drive.”

“I think (this program) is a great thing to have because people need to be aware of drunk driving and teenagers,” added Heather Schone, a junior. “In reality, there are teenagers who drink and drive.  Some of the students who were serious about the program, it’s probably affected them but others thought the Grim Reaper was funny.”

“For the most part, we had very good reaction, a mature understanding reaction,” said Bill Komassa, School Psychologist in the district and co-coordinator of the program.  “And then, there were some that were kind of all over the place. Some were very emotional.  We had parents contacting us during the week saying this is going to really impact students.  We also had some students who made light of it.”

“I think a good majority of them got it and some didn’t quite understand,” said Baldus.  “When the Grim Reaper went into the rooms some of the students were actually scared.  They jumped back in fright when he came in.”

On Friday, the entire student body will gather for an all-school assembly. They will watch a DVD with footage of the accident and will share their thoughts and feelings about drunk driving and the ‘Every 15 Minutes’ program. They will also hear from people who are all-too-familiar with the problem of drunk driving including Waukesha County District Attorney Brad Schimel and a woman whose close friend was killed by a drunk driver.