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December 2, 2008 Patterson, CA

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Students taught the risks of driving drunk

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Written by John Saiz / Patterson Irrigator /
Friday, 11 April 2008
“We’re trying to prepare you for the real-life consequences.” — Tom Killian CHP spokesman Patterson emergency responders revealed a mock vehicle accident Tuesday morning to hundreds of Patterson High School seniors and juniors. Photo by Elias Funez/Patterson Irrigator A teenage girl moaned and cried, a young man lay motionless covered in blood and a drunken youth stumbled in disbelief. Police arrived, followed by firefighters and an ambulance. Emergency responders worked to free victims from the wreckage and prepared a girl to be taken to the hospital by helicopter. A van waited off to the side to take a body to the coroner. Many of those in the front row broke down in tears, while those in back scrambled to get a better view. The scene allowed students to glimpse the worst that can happen if they drink and drive. “There aren’t a lot of words I can say after seeing something like this,” Patterson High principal David Stubbs said. “This is going on way too much in this community.” The presentation was part of Every 15 Minutes, a performance Patterson Fire Department puts on every other year at the high school. It’s named after the 1995 statistic that every 15 minutes, someone in the United States died in an alcohol-related vehicle accident. Last year, 17,602 people died in the United States because of alcohol-related vehicle accidents, according to the Fatality Analysis Reporting System. “We’re trying to prepare you for the real-life consequences,” Tom Killian, spokesman for California Highway Patrol, told the students. Photo by Elias Funez/Patterson Irrigator Every 15 Minutes takes place over two days. On Tuesday, students witnessed the mock accident. Throughout the day, at 15-minute intervals, a volunteer dressed as the grim reaper pulled a student from a classroom, symbolizing the people who died in a vehicle accident involving alcohol that day. On Wednesday, the juniors and seniors gathered in the gym to watch a video and hear students and parents read letters to each other. The video showed what happened after the mock accident. The participants were taken to the hospital, to the morgue or to jail. The crash victims’ parents were shown their child in critical condition or asked to identify the body. “What happened? What happened? I was just with him this morning,” said Angelina Navarro, mother of Larry Navarro, as she cried and clutched her husband. The video continued with the driver, Keith Yamamoto, being booked into jail. “There’s a toilet. You can use it. It’s all you got,” an officer told Yamamoto as he locked him in a cell. Yamamoto responded simply, “Thank you.” Photo by Elias Funez/Patterson Irrigator Following the video, some of the teens who participated in the performance read letters to their families. The students wrote the letters as if they had died and these were their last words to loved ones. “(I wish we could have) one last wrestling match,” Kaelee Kramer said to her brother. Then some parents had the opportunity to read similar letters to their children. “Your laughter at me doing (the video game) Dance Revolution will never be heard again,” Elana Davidson said. Eddie Thompson, a Patterson High School campus supervisor and Patterson Fire Department volunteer, headed up this year’s program. “I think of all these kids as my kids,” Thompson said. “I don’t want them to get hurt.” The program is paid for by a state grant that reimburses schools up to $10,000. Thompson said this year’s simulation cost close to $11,000, and the money not covered by the grant came from local businesses and service clubs. On top of that, it took several volunteer hours from the fire department to pull off the event. Volunteers did tasks ranging from acting to picking up chairs after the show. Thompson had considered not having the program this year because of a fatal accident involving Patterson High School senior Korre Mitchell, who died Oct. 13 after she lost control of her car on West Main Street near Jennings Road. “They’d been put through it once before,” Thompson said. The Stanislaus County coroner’s office said Mitchell had a blood-alcohol content of .14 percent. Anything above .08 percent is considered driving under the influence for drivers ages 21 and older. Thompson decided the program should go on after friends of Mitchell lobbied him to continue the tradition. “Some of her friends came up and said they wanted to make sure we had it,” he said. Thompson said he and the other volunteers get involved because of how heart wrenching it is to witness the aftermath of a serious vehicle accident, especially when it involves a teen. “It’s the worst scene you ever go to,” he said. “Any time a teenager gets killed, it’s over. There’s no turning back.” To reach John Saiz at the Irrigator, call 892-6187 or e-mail him at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it Set as favorite Bookmark Email This Hits: 205 Comments (0) Subscribe to this comment's feed Write comment Name Email Title Comment smaller \| bigger Subscribe via email (Registered users only) I have read and agree to the Terms of Usage.