March 26
March 26, 2008
Howard Edward Green
March 28, 2008
It was a gruesome head-on collision, but local law enforcement and medical care agencies believe it caught the attention of Terrebonne Parish high school juniors and seniors.
Students packed the Houma-Terrebonne Civic Center last Tuesday to watch events unfold following the staged crash – from the initial impact to the moment the coroner removed one teen’s body from the crash site.
For the past 12 years, the parish has been re-enacting car accidents at various schools prior to prom season. The event is coordinated by Louisiana State Police and Acadian Ambulance service and is intended to emphasize sober driving.
“This is a joint effort from all agencies that play a part in investigation serious injury or fatal crashes in the Houma area,” said Louisiana State Police Troop C spokesman Trooper First Class Gilbert Dardar Jr. “We have come together to show our young drivers how important it is to not drink and drive.”
“Being responsible drivers is imperative and is not an option in Terrebonne Parish or any where else,” said Terrebonne Parish Assistant District Attorney Mark Rhodes.
The re-enactment serves as a reminder when high school students gather “for what they call a good time,” Terrebonne Parish Sheriff-elect Vernon Bourgeois said.
“In the past 26 years since I have been with the sheriff’s office, too many students have been caught drinking and driving to and from their prom destination,” said Bourgeois. “This is a way to prevent them from doing so. Maybe if they see what can happen, they will think twice about doing it.”
Last week, more than 2,000 high school juniors and seniors from all the public high schools in the parish filed into the civic center to witness firsthand the horror following a deadly crash.
“With prom season right around the corner, we want to put the worst possible thought in every student’s mind so young drivers remember what could actually happen if they ignore their safety and the safety of others,” Dardar said.
The students who volunteered to help with the re-enactment have been spared the experience of losing a classmate to drunk driving, but later admitted, “We are not out of high school yet.”
Acadian Ambulance supervisor Sue Szuch has seen fatal accidents like the one that was recreated happen more times than she would like to count.
“These are young people who have their entire life ahead of them and one bad decision can take it away,” she said.
The bad decision rested on the shoulders of Terrebonne High School senior Carl Hebert, who was the drunk driver in the re-creation.
“This is absolutely something that we should see before prom,” he said. “And maybe students will get the idea that drinking and driving doesn’t just affect them, it affects everyone.”
Kisha Bashkiharatee, who is also a senior at Terrebonne High, played the part of the young girl who loses her life.
“In this scene I died, but I don’t want to die in real life,” she said. “I wished that they would have started this 15 years ago when the death toll for prom-related accidents in the area was higher.”
“This was not real, and we are not saying that you will do this. But this is a re-creation of what can happen if you chose to drink and drive,” he said. “This wasn’t for your entertainment. It was to teach you a lesson, and I hope you hear the message.”
Although no official statistics are available tracking the number of fatal accidents caused by underage drinkers in the area, Assistant D.A. Rhodes said one death is too many.
Besides the loss of life, the criminal consequence for vehicular homicide is five to 30 years of hard labor in prison.
“Half your life will be gone if you are convicted of vehicular homicide and receive the maximum penalty,” he said. “So instead of you being a freshman college, you would be a rookie in a prison yard.”
The sheriff-elect told the crowd of students, “You don’t know how important you are to us. We don’t want this to happen to you. We don’t want your parents to have to come identity your body.”
Gwen Chapman, coordinator of the parish’s HIPPY (Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters) program, played the part of the dead girl’s mother. Chapman has two grown daughters, but she said, “they were teenagers once too, and I hope they didn’t make the decision to drink and drive.”
Chapman believes that the parish should host the program more than once a year because the students need continued reminders of the effects of drinking and driving on a person’s life.
“Every parent should be proud that the parish cares enough about their children to make sure that they are safe,” Rhodes said.
Fire officials attempt to rescue a driver during a mock crash last week at the Houma-Terrebonne Civic Center. The event is held to remind teens of the dangers of drinking and driving. * Photo by KEYON K. JEFF
