Operation Prom Night
A Re-Enactment of a Drunk Driving Accident Scene
      Seven buses arrived at THS  to transport the seniors to the Civic Center, where they were joined by the seniors from the other parish high schools.  A re-enactment of an accident scene was produced within the Civic Center to illustrate first-hand the possible effects of driving under the influence of alcohol.
Once seated, the divider opened up to reveal a large mass covered by a blue tarp.  The audio set up the scene ... a van was being driven by a teenager who had been drinking.  They were going to run into a car full of non-drinking students.  With a loud crash and screams of terror, the tarp  was removed to show the accident scene.
The drivers of the vehicles were the first to emerge.  The car's driver checked on her passengers.  Though she had been wearing her seatbelt, that wasn't the case for all of her passengers.  The intoxicated driver (who had been wearing his seatbelt) stood outside the van in confusion ... repeatedly apologizing.  His date was hanging out of the front of the van, having burst through the windshield.
The police were first at the scene.  Officers quickly assessed the situation.  One officer began the sobriety test on the van's driver.
The firemen arrived next to help get the people out of the vehicles.  They and the police soon found that the teenager hanging out of the front of the van was dead.  They turned their attention to helping the survivors.
   The ambulances arrived to deal with the "wounded."
The wounded passengers were taken away in ambulances.  A helicopter arrived to fly the most serious to the emergency room.  By now, the screaming had finally started to die down.   The officer testing the van's driver had concluded that the young man was under the influence; he would be given an alcohol test later, which would show his alcohol blood level at 0.08. 
The van's driver is "arrested."   He is looking at charges of DUI, vehicular homicide, and vehicular injury.  He will face two to twenty  years at Angola, in addition to the mental pain of what he has caused.
The deceased van passenger is picked up by a hearse and brought to the coroner's office.  The police officers now had to go to her home to inform her parents that their daughter had been "killed."
Following the re-enactment, a young man who was still suffering from the effects of a drunk driving accident 12 years ago gave his personal testimony.    He urged them not to fool themselves by saying that it can't happen to them. 

The accident scene was recreated with actual wrecked vehicles.  The "injured" were students from local high schools.  The students from THS that participated were Michelle Grisham, Alzono Brown, Sandra Brown, and Vincent Fusilier Jr.  All are members of Free Spirit and mentor to elementary students.  They were joined by students from H L Bourgeois, Ellender, and South Terrebonne.  The program was endorsed by the District Attorney's office, Terrebonne General, Chabert Medical Center, Louisiana State Police, Houma Police Department, Terrebonne Sheriff's office, Terrebonne Fire Chief's Association, Terrebonne Parish School Board, Allstate Insurance, and Acadian Ambulance Service Inc.


No parent wants to be told that their child has been critically or mortally wounded, so please join us in helping send the message not to drink and drive, and equally as important, if not more so, not to ride with a driver that has been drinking.

If you would like further information, please contact Steve Kuiper at 1-800-259-3333
 
LINKS:   • MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving)
 • More to come ...
Some Statistics (from MADD) on Youth, Drinking, Driving and Other Drugs
• In 1997, 21 percent of the young drivers involved in fatal crashes had been drinking. (NHTSA, 1999)

• These young drivers make up 6.7 percent of the total driving population, but constitute 13 percent of the alcohol-involved drivers in fatal crashes. (NHTSA, 1999)

• Alcohol-related traffic deaths among youth between the ages of 15 and 20 decreased from 2,218 in 1997 to 2,210 in 1998. (NHTSA, 1999)

• Alcohol use is the number one drug problem among young people. (CSAP, 1996)

• 2.6 million teenagers don't know that a person can die from an alcohol overdose. (CSAP, 1996)

• Eight young people a day die in alcohol-related crashes. (CSAP, 1996)

• More than 35% of all 16-to-20 year-old deaths result from motor vehicle crashes.(NCHS, 1997) 37% were in alcohol-related crashes. Estimates are that 2,104 persons aged 16-20 died in alcohol-related crashes in 1998. (NHTSA, 1999)

• During a typical weekend, an average of one teenager dies each hour in a car crash. Nearly fifty percent of those crashes involved alcohol.  (NHTSA, 1999)

• According to the National High School Senior Survey, seniors reporting any alcohol use in the prior month fell from a peak of 72% in 1980 to 51% in 1993. (University of Michigan, 1994)
Drunk Driving in Louisiana - The Law  [Statute: 14:98 (1985)]
   First Violation 
       • Minimum fine of $125 to $500 
       • 10 days to 6 months in jail subject to suspension at discretion of court 
       • Suspension of driver’s license for 90 days 
       • Possible screening, drug abuse & driver improvement program at discretion of court 
       • Suspension of part of sentence at discretion of court 
       • Reinstatement fee of $100 

   Second Violation Within 5 Years Of Prior Violation 
       • Minimum fine of $300 to $1,000 
       • 30 days to 6 months in jail subject to suspension at discretion of court 
       • Suspension of driver’s license for 12 months 
       • Possible screening, drug abuse & driver improvement program at discretion of court 
       • Suspension of part of sentence at discretion of court 
       • Reinstatement fee of $200 

   Third Violation Within 5 Years Of Prior Violation 
       • Fine of up to $2,000 
       • 1 year to 5 years in jail subject to suspension at discretion of court
       • Suspension of driver’s license for 24 months 
       • Possible screening, drug abuse & driver improvement program at discretion of court 
       • Suspension of part of sentence at discretion of court 
       • Reinstatement fee of $300 

   Fourth Violation Within 5 Years Of Prior Violation 
       • Fine of up to $5,000 
       • 10 years to 30 years in jail of hard labor