NHS students get show-and-tell on dangers of drunk driving
By Lenny Roberts

Passersby at Nordhoff High School Wednesday did double-takes at three Ojai Life Line ambulances and a Sheriff's patrol unit surrounding two "crashed" vehicles in a simulated fatal traffic collision in the school's Maricopa Highway parking lot.
Both vehicles, donated for the staged event by Adamson's Towing, were actually involved in recent area injury accidents. In this simulated display, one teen was "booked" for driving under the influence with possible vehicular manslaughter charges pending.

The lesson, produced by NHS seniors Jennifer Good and Ally Taylor, was to warn NHS students of the dangers of driving while intoxicated all the time, not just on graduation night.
"The only real way to prevent this, other than lecturing, is to show them the real effects," Taylor said.

The real effects included fake blood splattered throughout the interior of both cars, and on the participants, seniors Danilo Barillas, Raquel Bernaldo and Heather Letvinchuck, each of whom positioned themselves in the crumpled vehicles as school officer Bud McCracken summoned an awaiting group of paramedics on his radio.

When rescuers arrived, they pronounced the victim portrayed by Barillas dead, while the others sustained moderate-to-severe injuries.

Ryan Fragale, who portrayed the drunk-driving teen, sustained, as many times is the case, only minor injuries.

"Even though I planned this, it's really scary seeing my friend Danilo inside that car," Good said.

The event was staged by Good and Taylor as their senior advanced placement project.
© 2003 The Ojai Valley News

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