The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Mock crash sobering for Riverside students
As buses of seniors from Madison, Kirtland, Harvey and Fairport high schools pulled into Riverside High School’s parking lot on the early morning of April 26, they couldn’t help but to notice a gnarled Volkswagen on its side, the windshield shattered, streaks of blood on the roof.
As one student frantically tried to resuscitate his friend, Painesville Township firefighters dutifully investigated the scene.
The good news? It was all staged, but succeeded in delivering stark and powerful imagery of far too common realities directly related to driving while impaired.
“Stay in Your Lane,” Riverside’s “mock crash,” is an interactive and intensive program aimed to educate students about the perils and consequences of drinking and driving and distracted driving. The program also includes a series of speakers — from private citizens to current and former law enforcement officers — whose lives have been personally and devastatingly affected by drunken drivers.
“It’s all about sharing tragic stories and focusing on the danger we’re all put in,” said Riverside Principal Peter Hliatzos. “Our hope is this program will have everyone thinking about the deadly costs of drinking and driving.”
Last year, the school staged just the crash, but Hliatzos and teacher and student counselor adviser Stacey Lucas both felt the program deserved to be expanded with testimonials and a “Walk of Remembrance” to more effectively raise awareness about alcoholand drug-related crashes.
“The event used to be held at Auburn (Career Center in Concord Township),” Lucas said. “It started small, but Geauga and Portage counties expanded theirs so we wanted to do the same. We’ve talked about doing so for years.”
According to the Ohio Highway Patrol, 25,219 impaired drivers—alcohol,
drugs or a combination of both — were accounted for last year alone, with 33 percent involved in crashes, leading to 8,000 injuries and 423 fatalities. Fiftyfour percent of the impaired drivers were between 20 and 30 years old, with 72 percent being males.
Distracted driving, primarily texting, accounted for 13,994 crashes, with more than 7,000 injured and 27 fatalities.
“It’s such an easy decision to prevent these accidents,” said speaker Aaron Cooksey. “I’m not here to talk at you. I’ll just tell you my story to let you realize the totality of the consequences brought on by ignorant actions.”
Cooksey, involved with mock crash programs for 11 years, travels the county to share his personal story.
“It’s too common, it’s too real,” he said, adding he was imprisoned for four years, convicted of aggravated vehicular homicide in 2001. “Four years of my life are gone. I killed my best friend, Andrea, and it’s my fault.
“I was a routine guy, it gave me structure and that involved partying. I spent more time at other bars than I did at the school, Mount Union, I was supposed to be at. I knew Andrea was
Distracted driving, primarily texting, accounted for 13,994 crashes, with more than 7,000 injured and 27 fatalities.
right, that I shouldn’t drive, but addicts can be manipulative. I knew what I was doing. I truly believed negative consequences wouldn’t follow me.”
Cooksey said his impairment combined with excessive speed caused his vehicle to crash.
“My truck flipped three times, smashed and wrapped around a (utility) pole. I heard sirens, people talking and a helicopter (Life Flight). Later, words failed me when I heard, ‘There are no survivors.’ I told them I was OK, but I knew then my best friend was gone forever.”
Cooksey was released in December 2005, and told students to not to applaud him before he left the stage.
“Ultimately, it doesn’t matter what I say or do up here today, you all are going to do what you want, but learn early and apply
often, be socially responsible,” he said. “Nine hundred and ninety-nine of 1,000, I thought nothing would ever happen, but it only took that one time to change the lives of people I care about.
“And my 3-year-old daughter is also a victim. One day, I’m going to have to tell her what her daddy did, and I know a part of her heart will break that day. But I have to tell her. Just think about someone you can’t live without, and what the world would mean to you without that person in it. Make smart choices, unlike I did. Make your decisions count.”
Chagrin Falls Police Officer Dick Goldsmith, who lost his daughter, Emily, to a multiple OVI offender, also implored students to be cognizant of their surroundings and choices.
“It’s been 15 years since the crash, not accident, and I can tell you it doesn’t get any more final, there is no lower emotional point,” he said.
“It’s unbelievable. Emily was only 18, a senior at Kenston High School. It’s like I just got the news yesterday. You learn to manage the pain, but you never get over it. Care for each other, enjoy your lives fully and stand up. Realize it doesn’t have to be this way.”