Mock Car Crash: The Production of Keeping Our Kids Safe
About four years ago, my 17-year-old daughter came home and told me she had volunteered me to participate in the mock car crash they were having at school. At the time, I figured I’d be applying makeup, making sure everyone was placed in the appropriate positions, helping with lines, etc. This was no surprise to me because I had helped out behind the scenes for previous productions performed by the students. However, this one was very different.
I was performing this time, and the part I was playing was not one that I ever want to have to deal with in real life. I was given the part of the mother whose daughter was killed in a car accident on her prom night due to getting in a vehicle with a drunk driver.
I thought that I was just going to walk up to my daughter with a police officer to confirm it was her, bow my head and walk off the field. Easy.
Two days before the mock crash, my daughter and I were at a restaurant when the Ohio State Highway Trooper who was in charge of this event walked in. He came to pick up some empty beer bottles that were being collected to use as props. Of course, I asked him what was expected from me. He sat down and showed me a diagram of the field, placement of ambulances, police cars, the life flight helicopter and hearse. After all of that, he looked at me and stressed the importance of my role. He said, “You are a big deal. You are the mom of every student in that stadium. It is your responsibility to make sure every child leaves thinking that they never want to put their mom in that position.”
The morning of the mock crash came and it was a huge deal. When the time came, a police car took me to the “scene of the accident” where I ran up to my daughter who was in an unzipped body bag. I screamed and cried as the police officers pulled me off of her. As the officer and I walked back to the police car, I felt sick to my stomach. I had to remind myself that this was a mock car crash, and that I would see my child after it was over. Sadly, there are moms who don’t get that privilege.
Afterwards, I had school faculty come up to me and tell me how there were students with tears in their eyes as they watched this all go down. They also got caught up in the moment of watching kids their age being taken away from blood stained cars by helicopter, by ambulance, and the one, my daughter, being taken away in a hearse.
Since that day, I have done four other mock car crashes at various schools hosted by the Ohio State Highway Patrol. It was such a privilege to partake in a program to educate our youth of the importance of staying sober while behind the wheel.
