Mock crash shows the dangers of drinking and driving to high school students

drunk driving after a prom drunk driving after a prom
This smashed up vehicle is on display in Ames Park. Attached is a plaque describing what happened as a result of drunk driving after a prom. 

Graduation for Northfield High School is next Sunday, June 5, 2 p.m. at the high school’s Memorial Field.

Nfld Patch: PHOTOS: Mock Crash—"One for the Road"

mock crash photo album on Northfield Patch
On Tuesday, Northfield High School hosted a mock crash in which two cars collided. In the scenario, one driver was drinking. The driver made it out of the wreck unscathed, but two were dead and others were severely injured. The driver was later arrested for criminal vehicular homicide.

High school juniors and seniors watched the hour-long event as it went from the initial wreck to one of the passengers being put in a body bag. The event also had speakers discuss the issue of drinking and driving. Speakers included Rice County Attorney Paul Beaumaster and Kelly and Ron Landsverk of Faribault, whose daughter, Brittney, drowned last year after the car she was in went into the Cannon River.

Nfld Patch: VIDEO: Landsverks Speak About Their Loss to NHS Students

Nfld Patch: VIDEO: Northfield High School Mock Crash

KYMN: Staged crash shows effects of drunk driving

Nfld News: Mock crash shows reality of drinking and driving

3 Comments

  1. Michelle Hawkins said:

    This is in the Faribault paper

    http://faribault.com/content/bongers-returns-jail-violations

    Bongers returns to jail for violations
    Submitted by Faribault Daily News on Fri, 05/27/2011 – 23:55
    Samantha Bushey, sbushey@faribault.com

    After his third appearance for violating the conditions of his release, a Faribault man is back in custody.
    Mitchell Bongers, 23, tested positive May 10 for THC, the active chemical in marijuana. He admitted Friday, in court, that he violated the conditions of his release by using marijuana.
    Bongers is in violation of release on two separate cases. He is charged with four felony counts of criminal vehicular homicide and four gross misdemeanor counts of criminal vehicular operation in connection with the death of Brittney Landsverk in April 2010, when the car Bongers was driving went into the Cannon River and overturned. Bongers also faces felony charges from a September 2010 incident in which police say he was driving an ATV when it crashed into a parked truck, injuring him and a passenger.
    In both cases, police say Bongers was under the influence of alcohol.
    Since May 10, he has taken the initiative to enroll in an intensive outpatient treatment that started May 23. As part of the treatment, Bongers will attend two weekly Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous meetings.
    But it was not enough for Rice County Attorney Paul Beaumaster, who said he doesn’t think Bongers has taken his release conditions seriously.
    Beaumaster requested Bongers’ bail be revoked and reset, and that he be taken into custody.
    Howard Bass, Bongers’ attorney, argued that Bongers has completed four years of his five-year electrician program, has steady employment, has recognized his chemical dependency problem and is taking actions to address it.
    “It’s not necessary to incarcerate him,” Bass said. “Adding the treatment program to his release conditions is a consequence and a benefit. Incarceration on the weekend, or weekends, could get the message across but I don’t think it’s necessary.”
    Rice County Judge Christine A. Long said bail, and conditions of release, are meant to assure public safety and appearance in court, and that Bongers’ continued use of controlled substances may create a public risk. She ordered him back to jail.
    “The court does recognize you’ve taken certain steps on your own to prevent future violations,” Long told Bongers.
    She said that to make sure Bongers takes the court seriously, the new terms of his release are unconditional bail at $150,000, and conditional bail at $60,000.

    When kids see a person can kill their friends while engaging in repetitive alcoholic/addicted behavior and still scoff at the requirements of the court, it tells them the law will be lenient because of their “tender age”.
    I’m glad the judge threw Bongers back in jail. I hope no one bails him out. It’s called “raising the bottom”. To continually bail him is enabling the behavior and not even doing him any favors.
    The judge is right also in stating it endangers the public for him to be out, especially taking in consideration his continual relapses and disregrd for for the consequences.

    My heart goes out for the families, including Bonger’s. This is heartwrenchingly difficult for everybody. But it IS time to stop aiding him in getting him out of jail.

    I speak strictly from personal experience. And i know how hard it is to let him sit there. But you must if you truly love him and wanthim to have any chance at all at a real life, you must.

    May 28, 2011
  2. alcoholism is a disease and should be treated as such…while the emphasis on drinking and driving is surely a very important thing, just as much if not more education should be geared to what alcohol does to the body long term and to the human race as a whole. Please do your own search on alcohol and disease after you read this

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long-term_effects_of_alcohol

    May 29, 2011
  3. Michelle Hawkins said:

    You are so right Bright! I would also recommend going to an Al-Anon or AA, even NA meeting. All the book learnin in the world won’t do a bit of good without a healthy meaasure of good ol common horse-sense! And that’s what you’ll hear from those that have been there.

    Now i hope I haven’t violated the tradition agasinst advertising 12 step. They also will tell the families and friends of alcoholics/addicts, any bailing out is enabling a further progression of the disease. The alcoholic will bargain and promise, swear and plead, that they will do everyhting and more to take care of their problem, if you’ll only just get them out of jail, or whatever…

    Until inpatient treatment is underway, and only after several months of of sobriety, including 90 meetings in 90 days, it must be assumed the alcoholic is untrustworthy as it is still the old behavior and the addiction that has them in it’s grips.

    Raise the bottom, let them sit in jail, let them suffer loss of their children, let them endure the consequences of their actions ~and maybe they will begin the climb back to a real life.

    Bail them out, keep the kids for them, soften their fall, pay thier bills, let them stay with…
    then one or more of three things are assured, no maybe’s:
    Jails, Institutions, and Death.

    If you love your alcoholic or addicted child, you should know you become part of their death if you enable them in ANY way.

    May 30, 2011

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