By Monty Siekerman
Metal grinds against metal, glass shatters, bones break, blood splatters, tires screech to a sudden halt.
Then silence.
Only smoke and dust quietly drift in the air.
Cries of pain and anguish begin.
A witness calls 911, gives details as best she can...where the accident occurred, how many people involved, how badly injured, pleading, "Please send help immediately."
About 300 Ada students, grades 9-12, experienced a mock accident Friday afternoon in the parking lot at the school.
Soon, sires wailed, all with their distinctive sounds: Ada PD, then the local EMT and their ambulances, fire, state police, a sheriff's cruiser.
Life Flight from Bluffton is summoned, its only a 4-minute flight from the neighboring town to the scene. One badly injured victim is carried to the plane, headed to a trauma center, usually St. Rita's, maybe Columbus, or to Children's Hospital, if young.
Meanwhile, emergency personnel are helping the injured. One car contains four students going to prom, the other car has adults going to watch the prom. Their lives are forever changed in an instant.
Victims are dazed. Fights break out. Jaws of Life grind away at metal to remove doors to extract the injured. Law enforcement begins an investigation of a possible drunk driver. Measurements and photographs are taken to aid in reconstruction of the accident at a later time.
It's a hubbub of activity, everyone knowing what they should do, and do quickly. Professionalism, training, experience are evident.
Finally, the coroner is called. Then, the Hanson-Neely Funeral Home hearse pulls up to the scene, no siren on their car, it's too late. One passenger, a student, is sprawled on the hood of a car, having been thrown through the windshield.
Life is over for her.
The lives of her parents, family, friends, are changed in an instant, changed forever. Death is permanent.
Before the students returned to their classes, after seeing the realistic but pretend accident, school officials, fire, and law enforcement made remarks, emphasizing that many "accidents" are not accidents but intentional due to poor decisions: don't drink and drive, don't text while driving, avoid distractions.
We've heard it all many times, but the sad scene played out at the school parking lot, effectively showed the need to remain alert while driving.
Other items of interest from that afternoon:
All those involved in the "play" met the week before to review plans from the state police who have orchestrated mock accidents many times in other towns.
There is a minute-by-minute script used so the timing will be realistic.
Many agencies are involved, coordination is necessary, the mock accident went flawlessly.
Ada Schools haven't had a mock accident before, but there was one at War Memorial Park a number of years ago.
Ada Theatre Department applied the injuries to the actors...gruesome and gory, but car accidents can be that way.
