Rick Patrick: Greene Publishing, Inc.
The scenario was one that occurs far too often in towns, large and small, this time of year. A group of youngsters attend a party before their high school prom. At this party, alcohol is served, nothing big, just a few beers to help everyone have a good time at the prom. One young man, Leshun, a senior at Madison County High School (MCHS) with a promising future, has "just a couple of beers," as he will later tell a sheriff's deputy. As he leaves the party, he's a little "buzzed," but certainly not impaired (at least in his mind) and he feels safe to drive to the prom with his date and another couple. Leshun's date, Faith, isn't entirely comfortable getting into the car with Leshun driving, but her friend Elizabeth convinces her that it will be okay. After all, the school isn't that far away. As the youngsters are traveling down US Hwy 90 toward the school, the car drifts off the road. As Leshun pulls back onto the road, he over-corrects and loses control. Suddenly, the car rolls several times before finally coming to a rest in the ditch. Elizabeth is thrown from the vehicle and dies instantly as her body violently hits the ground. Leshun's date, Faith, is also in the ditch outside the car, severely injured, but clinging to life. Leshun's best friend, John, is trapped in the vehicle. Miraculously, Leshun escapes with only minor injuries. A couple of other students come up on the horrific scene and immediately call 911 for help. Chaos ensues as emergency vehicles and first responders arrive on the scene and desperately attempt to save the young lives.
That fictitious scenario was dramatically portrayed for students at MCHS on Friday, April 6 at Boot Hill Stadium. The event was coordinated by the IMPACT program at the Madison Department of Health, along with the assistance of the Trauma Department at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital (TMH) and the participation of Madison Fire Rescue, the Madison County Sheriff's Office (MCSO) and the Air Methods emergency helicopter crew. According to Latoya Newbie, from the Madison Department of Health, a similar presentation was made in Jefferson County to great success. It was decided to bring the presentation to Madison County. TMH has been making these presentations to area schools for the last eight to 10 years. The goal of the presentations is to make a dramatic impact on students in order to help them make wise decisions and to keep what should be an evening of celebration from becoming one of tragedy.
Although Prom Night should be a happy occasion, far too often it becomes a time when many young people make poor decisions. Here are some sobering facts from Promises Treatment Centers:
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), approximately 300 teens have died in alcohol-related traffic accidents during prom weekends over the past several years.
Statistics show that roughly one-third of alcohol-related teen traffic fatalities occur between April and June — the peak of prom and graduation season.
A survey of teens aged 16 to 19, published by AAA in 2014, found that 31 to 41 percent of teens said it was likely that they or their friends would use drugs or alcohol on prom night.
According to Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), car crashes are the leading cause of death for teens — roughly 25 percent of teen crashes involve an underage drinking driver. Every year, 1,415 people under age 21 die from alcohol-related crashes.
Even a small amount of alcohol can affect driving ability — 1,764 people were killed in 2014 in alcohol-related crashes where the driver's blood-alcohol level (BAC) was less than 0.08.
The NHTSA estimates that every day, 28 people in the US die in an alcohol-related vehicle crash — that's one person every 53 minutes. While drunk driving fatalities have fallen by about 33 percent in the last 30 years, the chance of being in an alcohol-impaired crash is still one in three over the course of a lifetime.
Drivers who mix alcohol and marijuana greatly increase their chance of an accident, because marijuana and alcohol together have "multiplicative effects" on impairment.
More than 85 percent of teens say themselves or their peers are likely to drive impaired instead of calling their parents for help because they are afraid of getting in trouble. Just 21 percent of teens have called their parents to pick them up because they or their driver was impaired.
Students Against Drunk Driving reports that during the past 30 days, 26.4 percent of teens (ages 12-20) used alcohol, and 17.4 percent engaged in binge drinking.
These statistics are chilling, but the purpose of Operation Prom Night was to go beyond the statistics and show students in a very realistic way, what can happen when someone chooses to drink and drive. According to the responses of some students present, that mission was accomplished. "It was scary because it could happen to any of my friends," said MCHS junior Jed Phillips. "It was sad to see all the people who got hurt, and it scared me to think that it could happen to someone I care about," said senior Tia Young. "It [the presentation] will affect my decisions on Prom Night, and [if] I can inform someone else not to drink and drive, I can help others not make that mistake," said senior India Cobb.
"They [the students] did a good job. It was very realistic and close to what happens in a real situation," said MCSO School Resource Officer Maurice Alexander. Students participating in the dramatization were: Leshun West, Jemiya Fead, Faith Morse, Elizabeth Moore, Jarquise Robinson and Essence Hampton.
Greene Publishing, Inc. would like to wish all local high school students a happy and safe prom weekend. Please do not drink and drive; everyone's future depends on you.