ORANGE — Juniors and seniors of the Mahar Regional High School watched while their fellow student, Mayte Torres, covered in fake blood, performed a sobriety test for Orange Police outside the school Wednesday afternoon.
After it was decided Torres was “in fact” an inebriated driver, police handcuffed her and placed her in a cruiser.
The simulated arrest was part of a demonstration held by the high school with help from the Orange Fire and Police departments to highlight to students the realities of impaired driving. A two-car head-on collision was set up outside the high school while an ambulance and police cruiser raced to the scene once the demonstration started.
“I felt scared the whole time, my legs were actually shaking, it wasn’t acting. Don’t put yourself in that situation. It isn’t good for you, it isn’t good for anyone,” said Torres on drunken driving.
Orange firefighter and paramedic Meghan Ahearn said the event had a big impact on the students.
“The students were very focused and paying attention the whole time,” she said.
With prom and graduation approaching, Ahearn said students should make smart decisions, especially during a time when many alcohol related fatalities happen.
Five students acted as crash victims, with fake blood splattered all over their bodies. All the students involved had an array of injuries, from critical to fatal.
Student Hannah Birch, as part of the simulation, was pronounced dead at the scene of the two-car collision after the EMS team used the Jaws of Life to safely remove her from the vehicle she was in. While the students continued to watch the events unfold, Birch was then placed into a hearse from Witty’s Funeral Home.
“You have your eyes closed, you don’t see what is happening. When I got out I was taking glass out of my pants,” said Birch. “And getting into the hearse was very terrifying.”
Senior Mckenzie LeBlanc, who said she had someone close to her experience a car accident earlier in the week, described the simulation as very realistic.
“It was an experience that I never thought that I’d be a part of or see. And it was really great for them to put it on,” said LeBlanc.
Senior Connor McCarthy had similar feelings about the event. “I thought that it was pretty insightful. Everyone coming out to provide such a realistic portrayal of such an event is really helpful,” he said. “It is nice to know everyone here is trying to look out for the students.”
Principal Scott Hemlin spoke to the crowd of students after the simulation and urged them to make good choices in the weeks to come.
“One thing that really resonated with me was after this accident was all the girls had a chance to walk back, and that doesn’t happen in real life. The last thing we want to do is go to a funeral before graduation and prom night,” he said.