BLYTHEWOOD (WACH) -- Some students at Blythewood High School were involved in what appeared to be a deadly DUI crash but really no one was hurt because they were all acting.
With prom right around the corner administrators wanted to remind students of the dangers of getting behind the wheel under the influence.
The dramatization was conducted on the football field with nearly 500 students watching.
Several local agencies partnered with Blythewood for the in the event: Richland County Sheriff Department, Richland County Emergency Services, Dunbar Funeral Home Northeast Chapel, Forget Me Not Florist, and North Columbia Auto Salvage.
A Richland County paramedic who was at the event says although it was a mock crash, a deadly DUI crash was reality for him and his family.
“My son when he passed as tragic as his passing was, sends my wife and my two daughters and myself to literal hell. We’ll spend the rest of our lives wondering what could have been. Did we miss something? Should something been done?” says Corporal Richard Hamilton.
A $2,000 Project Ignition Grant was presented by State Farm to the JROTC for being selected as one of twenty-five schools nationally to participate in the dramatization project.
Project Ignition is a student led teen driver safety program funded by State Farm and coordinated by the National Youth Leadership Council.
If Blythewood’s safe driving campaign is selected as one of the top 10, the school will be eligible to receive additional funding up to $ 7,500 to extend the campaign and to participate in a national event showcasing leadership in teen driver safety.
Blythewood's Prom is Saturday, April 14, 2012.
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