Simulation came at students’ request

By ADAM STEWART

Staff writer

Law enforcement, firefighters, and ambulance workers hustled to get victims of a two-car DUI crash safely to hospitals as a Lifeteam helicopter arrived at the scene Thursday at Marion High School.

Fortunately, the entire scene was a simulation, but the workers went about their duties seriously. Emergency medical technicians extracted and stabilized the victims, while law enforcement officers collected details from the scene.

The highlight for many students was seeing a Lifeteam helicopter land next to the school. Lifeteam paramedics and local EMTs loaded Justin Rahe into the helicopter before taking flight again. Justin portrayed an unresponsive crash victim, one of the passengers.

Students saw Marion County Deputy Sheriff Mike Ottensmeier conduct a field sobriety test with Shayla Rahe, who played the part of a drunk driver. In an assembly afterward, they again demonstrated the test, with Ottensmeier explaining the purpose of the test.

Marion Police Chief Josh Whitwell told the students about his younger brother, Jerrid Whitwell. He was confined to a wheelchair after a drunk driving accident. Jerrid adjusted to being in a wheelchair and got his life back on track, attending Hutchinson Community College; but after a night of drinking, he took his own life.

Giving their mother the news about Jerrid’s death was one of the hardest things he has ever done, Whitwell said. Some people talk about drug and alcohol use being victimless crimes, but he and his family were victims, Whitwell said.

Warrior Kids of Marion sponsored the event. The group asked the school to host a DUI crash simulation, Shayla said. The last demonstration was four years ago, when current high school juniors and seniors were in middle school.

Thursday was the date selected for the simulation specifically as a prelude to prom, Tiffany Christensen said. She portrayed a passenger ejected from a vehicle who died. EMTs placed a blanket over her while treating other patients, because living patients are the first priority.

“I seriously thought they forgot about me,” Tiffany said.

When all of the patients were taken care of, she was put in a body bag and loaded into a waiting hearse.

To get in the right frame of mind for the simulation, Shayla tried to imagine how she would feel if she actually killed a friend in a crash. She realized how traumatic that would be, and it showed in her performance. Several students commented how convincing she was.

A lot of people said that, although they knew it wasn’t real, the demonstration got its message across, Shayla said. The students who wanted to learn did, she added.

Marion County Sheriff’s Department, Marion County Emergency Medical Services, Marion Police Department, Marion Fire Department, Lifeteam, Auto House, and Zeiner Funeral Home assisted with the simulation.