By Sue Lambie
Editor’s note: Some of the images may be perceived as graphic, though they are all fake. Viewers, please use discretion.
Students at Winchester High School (WHS) and Bluffs High School experienced a crash reenactment Wednesday, May 5, hosted by the WHS Key Club, and by each of the Winchester and Scott County Police, Fire and EMS departments. ThinkFirst, an injury prevention program offered by Southern Illinois University School of Medicine in Springfield, assisted in the planning and presentation of the event. The reenactment focused on what can happen when young drivers drive or ride with distracted or impaired drivers.
In 2020, over 1,000 people were killed on Illinois roads. Each year, 1.4 million traumatic brain injuries and 12,000 to 20,000 new spinal cord injuries occur in the United States; one-third happen to people between the ages of 15 and 24. Wednesday’s reenactment was intended to highlight the real-life consequences of risk-taking behaviors, like driving while texting or impaired.
Students heard from Officer Matt Watson of the Winchester Police Department about the events that took place as they were being acted out in front of them. Students also heard from Scott County State’s Attorney Rick Crews about the consequences for the impaired driver and from funeral director Justin Daws about the next steps in a death investigation. Finally, students heard from Danny Hicks, with ThinkFirst, who personally experienced a traumatic brain injury as a teenage passenger in an accident with an impaired driver.
A HUGE thank you to all of those individuals and organizations who helped the WHS Key Club make this event happen:
• SIU Med ThinkFirst Team: Mary Kay Reed, Nathan Saint, Megan Eairheart and Danny Hicks
• Officer Matt Watson of the Winchester Police Department
• Scott County State’s Attorney Rick Crews
• Scott County Sheriff/Coroner Tom Eddinger
• Justin Daws and Daws Funeral Home
• Winchester Fire Department
• Winchester EMS
• Stacey Mitchell with Marshall Chevrolet (donated cars and labor to prepare the cars)
• Dave Cherry
