11 images in the Skaneateles juniors participate in mock DWI album
It’s doubtful anyone wants to go through that. Not on prom night, or any other night.
To get Skaneateles High School juniors ready for Friday night’s prom, emergency response teams showed them what can happen when friends get behind the wheel after drinking alcohol.
The mock DWI took place Wednesday May 6 in the parking lot at the Austin Park Pavilion on Jordan Street and the accident scene looked extremely real — something the students noticed right away.
“It was kind of scary. They made it seem exactly like it would be if it happened right then and right there,” said student Amrita Deol.
As rescue teams took immediate action, the students watched, some with tears in their eyes as their classmates struggled to get out of the SUV — or didn’t, as was the case with victim Amy Greenfield who lost her life in the mock-up.
“This is exactly what happens when poor choices are made,” said Jeff Beveran, who narrated what was happened on the scene along with Skaneateles Police Officer Bill Marventano.
Marventano and his wife were in a motor vehicle accident approximately 18 months ago when a drunk driver hit the Marventano’s car. The officer said he sustained 25 broken bones. Had his wife been driving, it is likely she would have been killed.
The stories from his accident only added to the reality of what the students were witnessing as the scene unfolded before them.
“Seeing what could actually happen is pretty powerful and will make people think twice before driving intoxicated,” junior Tom Droppa said.
Beveran and Marventano talked to the students about the investigation process and also about what happens when a fatality occurs. Once deceased victims’ vitals are checked, they are placed in a body bag and generally taken by hearse to the medical examiner’s office or a funeral home.
“Now that victims family has to start planning the final arrangements,” Beveran said.
“[There is] no opportunity to say goodbye,” Marventano added.
Survivors in need of medical attention at the mock scene were taken by ambulance and New York State Police helicopter to University Hospital, which is approximately a three-minute flight from Skaneateles, Beveran said.
Being in a fatal accident is not the only consequence to drinking. Marventano spoke to the students about alcohol poisoning.
“People your age and weight, alcohol poisoning can kill you,” he said. “Mix that with smoking marijuana or taking a pill and it can kill you.”
When caught driving while intoxicated, police may administer field sobriety tests which could include asking the suspect to say the alphabet, checking their coordination by having them touch their finger to their nose and walking a straight line.
It isn’t just drinking and substance abuse that can lead to motor vehicle accidents among teens. Though speed and alcohol are the number one killer of youth in the United States, cell phones are beginning to be recognized as a big distraction — and it’s because of texting.
“We see you texting,” Marventano said. “You ask, ‘How can you tell?’ We see you swerving. I’m thinking, at first, you’re intoxicated. ... It’s dangerous.”
He recalled an accident on Genesee Street in which the driver dropped his cell phone and reached over to grab it. He went off the road and hit a utility pole.
“Nobody deserves to be the victim of somebody’s stupidity,” Marventano said.
Marventano and Beveran opened the talk up to questions from the audience. One question revolved around the number of accidents such as the one Wednesday. According to Beveran, SAVES responds to between six and 10 of these types of accidents each year.
“Think about the sheer volume of people this affects,” Beveran said.
He then went on to tell the students that he was working at SAVES the night of Marventano’s accident and not only had to treat his friend and his wife, but then had to turn to treat the person who hit their car.
Beveran took the time to let the class know that each of the volunteers from the Skaneateles and Mottville fire departments all came to the event on their own time because the students are at an age where the demonstration will make an impression on them.
“It was pretty powerful and interesting, I thought. It was really well done,” Nick Sherman said, adding that he hadn’t known too much about it in advance, except that “people were excited to go to it.”
“I think it left a pretty strong impression and I think it will affect people,” he added.
For the rescue teams involved, or at least the ones who aren’t out patrolling the community like Marventano and the other Skaneateles police officers, kicking back and putting their feet up is preferable to responding to an emergency.
“We want to stay back at our stations with our feet up watching TV shows,” Beveran said.
