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SPecial SecTioNc5-c8PageS aPril 19,
The NorTh STar
2013
The
choice is
always
yours.
-
The NorTh STarSPecial SecTioNc6
1
2 3
4
11 12
13 14
on the morning of April 10, north students
saw a car crash that will cause them to question
every choice they make in the future.
the national Every 15 Minutes organization
partnered with the California highway Patrol to
stage a car accident demonstrating the effects that
driving under the influence can bring.
Seventeen seniors participated in the staged
event which resulted in three deaths, two on scene
and one in the ambulance.
the remaining 11 participants were considered
the living dead headed by the Grim reaper who
was actually Skip Sher-
walter, a policeman.
Although the car
crash was not real, it
still left an impact on
the senior class.
immediately follow-
ing the car crash, stu-
dents who were
involved with the pro-
gram were taken on a
tour to learn more about the different aspects that
follow a dUi incident.
the first stop was made at the riverside Su-
perior Courthouse where Adrian hughes was tried
for driving under the influence causing the deaths
of omar Coria, Leopoldo Amaya and Jessica
Munoz and leaving denzel foster paralyzed.
the trial was open to the public. People of the
Court included hughes aunt who was reduced to
tears when the judge sentenced hughes to 16
years in prison. the criminal was then taken to a
waiting cell by the deputy.
hughes himself was shaken as well. [Getting
arrested] was scary. i felt like i was actually going
to jail. When they slammed the cell it got real and
i was about to cry. i felt like i was [actually] sen-
tenced for those peoples deaths, he said.
After leaving the court, students arrived at
riverside Community hospital where they had
the opportunity to tour the emergency room, sur-
gical unit and the morgue.
they were not only able to see the process that
foster had to go through after being rescued from
the accident by paramedics but also understand
the role that the morgue plays.
in this case, Munoz, who was pronounced dead in
the ambulance, would have ended up in the
morgue.
if her body was not claimed from the hospital
by a family member within two days, she would
have been taken away by a riverside Coroner of-
ficer.
After seeing this Wahab Gondal said, Life is
too short. You never know when obstacles will
come your way. You never know when that wrong
turn is. [We] should all be more careful and make
better choices.
dinner was served at the riverside downtown
fire Station where students got to interact with
local fire fighters and learn about their specific
jobs in an accident such as the one that was staged
at north.
the event was divided into two days to in-
crease the impact on the participants, their friends
and even their parents.
While students in the program were busy
learning about the aftermath of a dUi accident,
riverside police officers personally called or vis-
ited each family to inform parents or guardians of
their childs death.
Although parents were informed beforehand
that the event was entirely staged, they still had a
difficult time accepting the news.
Coria and Amayas parents specifically were
required to be on scene immediately after the ac-
cident occurred to identify their children.
Captain of the riverside fire department John
Peurfoy said, [in car accidents] you dont get a
chance to say goodbye but you do get a chance to
make a different choice.
in order to make the event more realistic, stu-
dents were required to leave all technological de-
vices at home leaving them with no way to
contact the outside world while
staying at a hotel downtown
overnight.
Meanwhile, a dUi seminar
was hosted by California highway
Patrol Public information officer
Steve Carapia and Police officer
Karen havercamp in the hotels
ballroom.
Carapia explained the various
legal consequences impaired driv-
ing can bring. Volunteers also got to test the
breathilizer. the night ended with participants
writing letters to their parents reflecting on the
lessons they learned that day.
the following morning a special assembly
was held at north for seniors who had seen the
accident the day before.
Parents were invited to attend the assembly
and finally had the chance to talk to their children.
Students and parents volunteered to read their let-
ters to the entire audience. the program ended
with a luncheon where sponsors, supporters and
participants were recognized.
Peurfoy said, [this program has] the domino
effect. Students see the scenario of the people who
are killed drunk driving. then if theyre at a party
on prom night and they see someone whos been
drinking and driving, hopefully they remember
this program because of what they saw here.
Were saying think about the choices you make
and the people that it affects. thats the impact.
Students react to
tragic realities after
car crash
You dont get a chance to
say goodbye but you do
get a chance to make a
different choice.
Captain John Peurfoy
Scan this QR code to visit the
official every 15 minutes website
to learn more about the program
and the impact it has on
teenagers throughout the united
states. find out how you can reg-
ister with the organization to
host an event at your school.
Emily Chen
Editor-in-ChiEf
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The NorTh STar Friday, aPril 19, 2013 c7
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1. disguised as the Grim reaper, Skip Sherwalter leads the living dead students out to the ac-
cident.
2. the members of the riverside fire department drill into the cars as the first step of the
staged accident before student spectators come to the scene.
3. the front window is shattered by a firefighter with a hammer to make the accident more re-
alistic.
4. Shortly after receiving a 911 call, members of the riverside Police department arrive on
the scene to find injured and dead students.
5. Leopoldo Amaya is covered by a body bag after being pronounced dead.
6. omar Corias father is asked to identify his dead son.
7. firemen place Jessica Munoz on a stretcher after removing her from the accident.
8. Adrian hughes is arrested by a police officer after failing the sobriety test.
9. After being removed from the accident, an injured Munoz is taken care of by paramedics
from the riverside Community hospital.
10. hughes is prosecuted in the riverside Superior Court and sentenced to16 years in prison.
11. Students visit the riverside Community hospitals morgue to understand how dead bodies
are preserved.
12. in the dUi seminar, Juan Andrade takes the breathilizer test given by California highway
Patrol officer Steve Carapia and Police officer Karen havercamp to demonstrate how a per-
sons alcohol level is determined.
13. rashaya Stanfield writes a letter to her parents at the end of the day.
14. Alexis Alfaros parents read their letter to their dead daughter for the entire senior class,
drawing tears from students and teachers alike.
15. Amanda Valdez and her mother are all smiles as they attend the thank you luncheon know-
ing that the unfortunate events from the previous day are educational but luckily, staged.
Photos by Emily Chen
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The NorTh STar Friday, aPril 19, 2013SPecial SecTioNc8
In the Back Seat: A
Students Perspective
When senior Mina Jackson left for
school the morning of April 10 she
knew it wasnt going to be a typical
day. the scheduled Every 15 Min-
utes program had been planned for
months in advance and she knew what
she was going to have to do.
After a morning of breakfast with
her peers in the program and setting up
the scene of the accident, Jackson was
covered in fake blood and put in a de-
molished vehicle with her three best
friends, seniors Leopoldo Amaya,
omar Coria and Jessica Munoz.
next to them was another crashed
car with seniors denzel foster and
Adrian hughes. When the staged
accident began, Amaya and Coria were
to be dead on the scene, Munoz was
unconscious, hughes was disoriented
and foster was paralyzed from the
waist down.
once the paramedics arrived and
students were assessed for injuries,
Jackson realized she was not okay.
Using the designated code words this
is for real, she alerted the paramedics
around her of her fragile state as she
watched her friends be taken away.
i was very emotional and i cried
before, i cried during and ill probably
cry later on too. it was really hard for
me to watch them get taken away in the
body bags. i cant even put it into
words. i lost it. i couldnt control it
anymore, said Jackson as she recalled
the mornings events.
hughes was taken out and ques-
tioned upon suspicion for a dUi while
Jackson watched from the curb nearby.
however she was not the only student
to become emotionally in-
volved in the scene.
the onlooking
seniors and
t e a c h e r s
were all at-
t e n t i v e ,
s o m e
w i t h
cam-
eras, others staring in shock and occa-
sionally crying. the tragic demonstra-
tion had a huge impact on the school.
As Jackson watched her friends getting
carried away and identified, she was
comforted by an officer and another
adult in the program.
Jessica Munoz was one of my
closest friends. Shes been there for me
since sophomore year. Shes never let
me down and i could count on her for
anything. [Leopoldo] is the same way.
i met him sophomore year in Law
Academy and he is a big brother to me.
he helps me with so many situations in
my life and omar was my boyfriend of
three years. hes one of my best
friends. i dont know what id do with-
out any of them. it was really hard for
me to watch all of them just go.
Like many people in todays society
this wasnt the first time Jackson has
been exposed to the tragedy of a car ac-
cident due to a dUi. i was 7-years-old
and we got a call around 12:30 at night
that my moms friend had been at a bar.
he was walking out of it, was hit by
somebody and was flipped over the car
three or four times [before he] landed
on the windshield. he cracked open his
skull and was in the hospital for a
while. to me it seemed a lot longer but
it was probably about a week later and
he was gone.
he was so close to me its really
hard to watch the people you
love go through that and re-
ally have no way to com-
fort them and tell them it
will be okay because it
wont. Somebody
made the wrong deci-
sion and it cost some-
one their life.
i just really hope
people take into con-
sideration their ac-
tions. not just
drinking and driving
but in general. dont
put somebody elses
life in danger, not even
your own because you
dont just hurt yourself.
You hurt everybody around you,
Jackson said.
this message was con-
veyed through those who
took part in the pro-
gram. Munoz said, i
experienced every-
thing to the full ex-
tent because i got
into the acci-
dent and i flat
lined in the
a m -
bulance. ... they took me to the hospi-
tal and my uncle had to identify me. he
was so upset and my little sister got
wheeled out of the room because she
was crying so much. it was a really big
deal ... it made me feel really sad be-
cause death has been a common thing
in my life. When you feel [loss], it
hurts a lot. When its somebody close
to you, it hurts even more. Your heart
is just ripped out of you. i felt what he
felt. i felt that his heart was gone. My
uncle practically raised me and i could
feel him touching my hair and he
wanted to hug me but i was dead. i
could feel he wanted me to get back up
... but it wasnt happening.
As students responded to the acci-
dent and in the assembly following,
support flooded through social media
with shared pictures and reflective
comments. the reactions were com-
forting to officials of both the school
and the city as Mayor rusty Bailey
spoke at the mock memorial encourag-
ing students to drive safely.
After the ceremony the students in
the program reunited with their parents,
some with tear-filled eyes and others
with thoughtful words of gratitude for
their lives. Many seniors were posi-
tively impacted by the unique experi-
ence offered to them in the
Every 15 Min-
utes pro-
gram.
Harlee Duckett
We see consequences [of drunk
driving] all the time. But we lie to
ourselves and say that won't hap-
pen to me. Until it does, we wont
change our way of life.
Rachel Justis
At first, I didn't feel very emotionally
connected, but when some students
read their letters to their parents at
the assembly, I was moved because I
realized the value of life and how this
could happen to anyone. My friends,
my teachers, my parents, even me.
And the fact that nothing would ever
be the same afterward.
Ryan Assali
I thought that 'Every 15 Minutes' was
something really good to see. Lots of
people need to be informed on the dan-
gers of driving and making the wrong
choices in general. People underestimate
the consequences of their actions all the
time and it always leads to something
bad, so this event was a good reminder ...
People need to respect the purpose of the
event and just do the right thing.
Caitlin Redak
Editor-in-ChiEf