SEBASTIAN — Panic-filled screams rang out from three smashed vehicles at Sebastian River High on Friday morning as students acted out a drunk driving scenario to educate their classmates on the dangers of drinking and driving.
Fake blood dripped down car doors, pieces of synthetic brains lay visible on car seats, and the actors each had dramatic makeup applied that depicted traumatic head and body injuries. The girls wore blood soaked prom dresses and sobbed as they saw their friends either dead or carried away on stretchers.
Though the student actors practiced multiple times weekly leading up to the event, several of them said the panic and tears were a genuine response to the scenario that seemed much more real on Friday than it did during rehearsal.
By the end of the staged event in which approximately 20 students and dozens of Indian River County paramedics, fire fighters, and police officers participated, five students were pronounced “dead” while four more were raced off in ambulances with traumatic injuries.
The rest of the senior class watched the scene unfold from bleachers. They witnessed one actor lying dead on the hood of a car, another slumped over and lifeless in the driver’s seat, the head of her deceased friend lying in her lap.
A 911 call was placed to police dispatch and the audience listened to all of the radio communications play out over a loud speaker.
One of the student actors screamed in terror, “That’s my best friend,” as she stared helpless at the girl’s dead body.
Annemarie Cain, the senior who played the part of the drunk driver, shook in fear and disbelief as she witnessed the damage that was caused by her impaired driving. Her classmates watched as Cain was arrested and charged with DUI manslaughter.
The whole production is a combined effort of Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD), Sebastian River High teachers and faculty, and Indian River County law enforcement and fire rescue, and occurs every year leading up to prom night.
“This is as real as it gets,” said Fire Chief Brian Burkeen.
Approximately 10 years ago, Burkeen along with Deputy Mark Howder of the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office, and Deputy Rafael Manotas, former school resource officer at Sebastian River High, assisted in the first mock DUI in the county.
“Before we started doing this, we had several years where there were multiple accidents the week right before prom,” Burkeen said. “I don’t know if it’s education or if it’s coincidence, but we’ll take it.”
In order to drive the point home to the student audience, Burkeen and his team did not cut any corners.
“Everything is done in real time, from cutting the doors and roofs off of the cars, and all of the radio communications are exactly how they would happen in a real scenario,” Burkeen said.
Nichole Derosa and her classmates Bayli Pettis and Allison Hanley all agreed that a large portion of the student body do not take the issue of drinking and driving seriously.
“Some of them will say they’ve just had a couple, some of them will tell you they’ve driven like this before and they’re fine,” said Hanley.
But all three girls agreed this was not a “senior” problem. Students begin drinking or being influenced by other students who are drinking at a much younger age.
“It was really sad; I cried a lot,” said Vanessa Dreher, a 17-year-old senior who watched from the stands. She added, “It’s a huge issue, pretty much everybody drinks, and they don’t take this seriously.”
Though Friday’s mock DUI was staged and no one was really killed or injured, the gravity of the situation still set in with the students. In addition to watching their friends and classmates lose their lives, students listened to several guest speakers who gave first hand accounts of lives taken too soon due to a drunk driver.
“A lot of this is about the choices you will make or your friends’ choices,” said Sebastian River High Principal, Todd Racine. He added, “Unfortunately, for these guest speakers, this was not a mock.”
Burkeen said this grand production is done and re-done every single year with one major goal in mind, education.
No matter the attitude or opinion each student had regarding drinking and driving leading up to Friday’s mock DUI, they each witnessed a terrifying and heart breaking event. Those who worked so hard to make the scenario seem so real and hit so close to home can only hope that their message will be taken seriously.
“It was pretty emotional, thinking that this could really happen,” said Derosa. “Looking into the crowd of students you realize, one of them might not be here after prom.”
