MARQUETTE -- On Thursday students at Marquette Senior High School looked on as ER staff worked on one of their classmates, acting as a patient in a mock procedure depicting the aftermath of a drunk driving crash.
"I don't want to look like this, nor would I want my friend to look like this," said Luke Schwemin, who played the part of the gravely injured patient.
According to the US Department of Transportation 48 teens are killed and more than 5,000 are injured nationwide during prom season due to alcohol-related crashes.
Hospital staff say while yesterday's procedure may be fake, the lesson is very real. Driving drunk has severe consequences and could leave you in an emergency room.
"It comes down to this, if we can save one kid from making a bad choice it's all worthwhile, and we feel that we are reaching out to at least one, so for us it's worth every minute of it," said Gary Gustafson a paramedic RN who acted in the mock procedure.
The fake trauma scenario was one part of a week-long drunk and impaired driving curriculum at the school.
A police officer, a magistrate and an addiction specialist spoke to the teens detailing the dangers of drinking and the consequences it brings to this high-risk demographic.
However, experts, like Bob Swanson of the Great Lakes Recovery Center, say the lesson needs to be given beyond the classroom.
"It's really important for the family to be involved in providing accurate information about substance abuse to their children," said Swanson.
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