There’s something to be said for shock value in this day and age.
The Westlock Victim Services Unit once again pulled off a successful PARTY Program for area Grade 9 students May 15 at the Rotary Spirit Centre, with the help of local first responders and volunteers who came to share their expertise in a number of different fields.
It was detailed and graphic, as it should be. According to Mothers Against Drunk Driving, four Canadians are lost each day due to impaired driving. If not for the graphic detail, how do you put home the point that these things can happen to anyone who makes a poor decision.
The day started off with a mock collision involving an intoxicated driver and then went into specifics from the various local professionals in attendance, all of whom have dealt with the aftermath of someone else’s decision to drink and drive.
The RCMP showed pictures of accident scenes, while four local nurses detailed their work in the trauma unit, sparing no details, including catheter installation, how they remove blood from the lungs after an accident and the fact that they will cut the clothes right off your body, if you are brought into the ER as a trauma victim.
An addictions counsellor also shared his perspective and expertise in dealing with other people’s addictions and how he has seen individuals go down precarious life paths thanks to their reliance on alcohol and drugs.
A lawyer and probation officer also told the students about the legal consequences of those bad decisions. Funeral directors could be seen at the mock accident scene, removing the body of the deceased, who had gone through the windshield, and transporting him to the funeral home.
Firefighters also carried in a casket to drive the point home and the funeral directors detailed the funeral process.
Fake blood and makeup was used to make the victims appear more realistic and screams of agony from the nurses station and from a frantic mother during the mock accident were a nice touch.
Some of the students we talked to were too cool for school, so to speak, and didn’t let on that it impacted them, but others were more than happy to share that the experience is something they’ll remember for the rest of their lives.
And if the program saves just one life, it is well worth the effort, which all should be commended for.
