Garaway mock crash reiterates safe driving message

Mock crashes are meant to simulate a horrifying scenario, and with prom season approaching, Garaway High School students who would be on the roadways for their upcoming prom got a chance to witness the catastrophic result of an accident and also experience how local emergency response units provide professional assistance on scene.

On Friday, April 21 the mock crash took place and created a stirring image for the students.

To initiate the experience, Sugarcreek Fire and EMS Capt. Cody Shetler reached out to Garaway High and Middle School Principal Chip Amicone and set up the mock crash in the parking lot between the football stadium and baseball diamond near the school.

The idea was to create a scenario that would be one of many possible outcomes when alcohol and distracted driving create a head-on collision.

Amicone said the school quickly got on board and set the wheels in motion to create a mock crash, one the student body of upperclassmen got to witness.

The scene included two wrecked automobiles provided by D&S Towing and a life flight helicopter from a team from Cleveland Clinic Critical Care. In addition, a trio of area fire and EMS teams responded to the crash, giving them plenty of experience in the concept of responding to a catastrophic event.

“My main hope was that I want our kids to understand, know and appreciate what these people will do for us in our greatest time of need,” Amicone said. “It serves as a great reminder to these kids that any form of distracted driving and not wearing a seat belt can have very serious outcomes. It was a lot of work and effort, but it was well worth it because of the message it shared to our young people.”

One of the tasks for Amicone was to find volunteers to play the roles of the young people involved in the accident. He said even though it was a mock crash, he found it difficult to ask a student to play the role of a deceased youth who didn’t wear a seat belt.

That role eventually fell to his own son Tate Amicone.

“I got very emotional seeing Tate out there,” Amicone said. “It was difficult for me to ask anyone to play that role of playing a fatality. I think it would be the same for any parent to see their child laying there like that, regardless of it being a mock crash.”

Other students who participated were Gracyn Stutzman, Jessie Johnson, Lily Specht and Cole Fisher.

Stutzman, a senior, had the task of portraying the drunk teenager who initiated the accident. While others around her were fatally wounded or majorly harmed, she walked away with a few bumps and bruises.

Her psyche, on the other hand, was extremely damaged.

“When I was sitting in the car and all these emergency vehicles came pouring in and everyone came rushing toward the vehicles, I could feel my body start to buzz,” Stutzman said. “I was getting scared because it was such a weird and new feeling. Then I started thinking, ‘What if this really was real?’ These were my friends. It was such a surreal experience.”

Stutzman said her hope is each student takes this message very seriously, not only during prom and graduation, but also as the seniors move into a new stage of life after graduation.

Units from Sugarcreek, Baltic and Wayne Township arrived one by one in response to the mock crash. While it was a simulation, it did present a sincere message of what a crash incident would look like, as well as painting a picture of the devastation that can take place with one wrong decision.

At one side of the accident, Brian Dalton, Sugarcreek assistant police chief, was both consoling and keeping parents Derrick and Heidi Clark away from the scene.

“It’s a very emotional time that can get pretty crazy for parents who arrive on a scene,” Dalton said. “Our role here is to keep everyone away from the accident so the emergency crews can do their job, but at the same time, we have to handle this with compassion and understanding with parents. It’s a narrow line to walk.”

Cathy Clark, investigator for the Tuscarawas County coroner’s office, had the chore of arriving on scene to pronounce one of the victims dead. She said that is never easy, and even in demonstrations like this, it is a somber moment.

“Our hope is that this gets the message out about being safe and responsible and making good decisions on the road,” Clark said. “And just as important as not drinking is not allowing yourself to get distracted by other teens or by social media. Life is too short to take these types of chances of ending it sooner than need be for yourself and for others sharing the road.”

One by one the victims of the accident were rescued and placed into transports, and the scenario played itself out, leaving a meaningful impression on the youth.