SCHUYLKILL COUNTY, PA – Two cars collide, multiple teenagers are trapped in the vehicles, one teenager is thrown from the back seat through the windshield – she is dead on the hood. A distraught mother rushes into the scene as first responders arrive. The police arrest the driver of one vehicle, he was driving while impaired and more than likely created this disaster. The poor decision of one person just affected dozens, if not hundreds of lives.
This was the message given to Mahanoy Area High School students on the afternoon of Thursday, May 5 – the day before their prom.
A mock DUI accident was set up with live patients in the parking lot of the school complex at the end of Mahanoy Avenue. Firefighters, rescue and EMS personnel from West End Fire & Rescue, Humane Fire Company and Mahanoy City EMS participated in the drill which showed the young viewers what could happen if they drive impaired. The drill also served as a good tool for the emergency personnel to sharpen their skills and work with one another in a less stressful situation.
Units were dispatched via radio to the scene after they staged a short distance away. Lieutenant Dan Markiewicz arrives on the scene and gives an initial size up of four people trapped in two vehicles with one person partially ejected and deceased; Mahanoy Area Command is established.
Rescue 993 arrives on the scene and begins to stabilize the vehicles while Engine 451 stretches a protection line. Ambulance 4802 arrives and begin to triage the patients. Rescue personnel continue to work on extrication which will end up requiring a roof flap on both vehicles to successfully extricate all the occupants.
Meanwhile on scene, Mahanoy Township Police Chief Brandon Alexander makes contact with the driver of one vehicle, has him step out of the vehicle and performs a field sobriety test. Mahanoy City Police Officer Chris Zubris assists Alexander with the investigation. While giving the field sobriety test, the suspect is attacked by a woman who just discovered her daughter was killed; she is quickly removed from the scene and is comforted. The driver fails the test and is subsequently taken into custody and led to the Mahanoy Township cruiser.
Schuylkill County Deputy Coroner David Truskowsky arrives on the scene and pronounces the female deceased; the coroner continues his investigation and removes the body to a transport vehicle while the students watch.
Other patients are successfully extricated and given to EMS. As crews work to extricate the final patient, EMS notices the patient is beginning to crash. The patient is freed from the wreckage and goes into unresponsiveness; EMS works to bring the gentleman back to life but they quickly realize it is too late. The Coroner also pronounces this young man deceased. A firefighter releases a dove from Doves of White to honor those who have passed.
Once the scenario is complete, the first responders gathered around and two of them spoke to the students. First was Deputy Coroner Truskowsky who gave thanks to those who set up and helped with the drill and continued to tell the students about the dangers of driving impaired, drinking and taking drugs. Truskowsky used his experiences as a coroner and as a first responder to warn the students that situations like this really do occur and can easily be prevented. Second to speak was Lieutenant Markiewicz who touched on the same subjects but gave his view as the father of a recent high school graduate and now college student.
Finally, a school official spoke a few words to the students and asked them express thanks to the individuals that participated in the drill and respond to emergencies every day as they are volunteers and donate their time to help others.
