As the helicopter flew away, Oglethorpe County High School juniors and seniors watched what it would be like to see a classmate airlifted to the hospital.
The goal of Friday’s demonstration? To encourage students to make good choices during this year’s prom, which was on Saturday.
“It really brings to reality things that can actually happen,” said Kevin Wright, the school’s resource officer. “Because a lot of kids think that they're invincible when they're young and don't think that anything bad can happen.”
Ghost Out, an annual event by OCHS Health and Occupational Students of America (HOSA) and local emergency services, combines educational segments from local fire fighters, EMS, police officers and insurance providers, before finishing the day with a mock car accident scene.
The first half of the day included stations inside the gym and in the parking lot, including a fire extinguisher demonstration and distracted driving simulators. When the students returned from lunch, the OCHS football parking lot had been turned into a car accident scene, with one student even ejected from the vehicle.
While the scene seemed gory, it highlighted the dangers of driving while under the influence.
“You can talk until you’re blue in the face of these kids, but until they see it, they're not gonna believe it or put two and two together,” said Heath Baker, chief of the Arnoldsville Volunteer Fire Department. “So, it hopefully makes it hit home, and makes them think about what they're doing.”
Baker’s department played a large role in setting up and playing out the scene. His team responded to the accident by using the jaws of life to free one of the injured individuals.
While the scene was a dramatization of what could happen, the emotions felt real.
It began with a radio call over speakers, and loved ones had to be held back as they discovered that Sarah Noltensmeier had been killed on impact.
Having family and friends on site helps drive home the message, Baker said.
The mock crash continued with a field sobriety test for the driver, her arrest and several students leaving by ambulance. One student was even brought to the helicopter as a demonstration on how an airlift would occur.
“Make the good decisions,” Baker said. “And make sure that like (Wright) said, get home to your loved ones so they don't have to make that notification that nobody ever wants to make.”