Owensboro Catholic High School students got an immersive look at the consequences of impaired driving on Wednesday during the annual “Ghost Out” event hosted by Owensboro Health Regional Hospital.
The Ghost Out program was originally developed by the Kentucky Office of Highway Safety to bring an understanding of the consequences resulting from impaired driving. The all-day event simulated an impaired-driving crash involving students on prom night.
The accident scene depiction took place at the Owensboro Sportscenter, where students watched how extrication and rescue efforts are carried out by first responders. The event is kept secret until the day of so that students are surprised, much like they would be in the event of a genuine tragedy.
Senior Deuce Sims portrayed the role of a drunk driver who caused an accident that resulted in casualties and severe injuries. He was adorned with fake blood, and skin prosthetics, and impairment goggles.
He said it was a “crazy experience” to go through the simulated experience of what could happen after driving drunk.
“It’s kind of eye-opening to see people laid out and then all the makeup they did to us [to make us look injured],” Sims said. “It’s crazy when you really put yourself in that situation.”
Four students were directly involved in the demonstration, while the rest of the student body watches the scene unfold. School officials selected the four students a month ago but they were not notified until Wednesday morning that they would participate in the simulation. Sims said that when he was pulled from class and pronounced “dead,” he didn’t know what the rest of his day had in store.
Sims said the simulated experience made him want to be more cautious while driving.
“It makes me want to wear my seatbelt more, but also be more cautious and pay more attention [while driving] because I don’t know what other people can do,” Sims said.
In the simulation, Kaiser Frick died from his injuries. His mother Heather Frick knew he had been picked for the simulation, but watching her son be covered in a tarp was still hard for her. Still, she was glad that her son could help educate several students in the school.
“It wasn’t easy; it was scary. I think it was a really good experience for all of them. I looked around at all of the kids, and they weren’t laughing; they were serious,” Heather Frick said.
She also said the event brought a sense of empathy for families that have lost a child to an incident — though she acknowledged that a simulation can’t truly compare to a real loss.
OCHS Senior Guidance Counselor Kurt Osborne said that officials hoped to invoke a sense of caution and empathy through the event. He said they specifically chose students from a different grade to have an impact — not only by watching the situation but in the stories they’ll tell after.
“Some of the students were uncomfortable and didn’t know how to react to something like this, but I think it really did help,” Osborne said.
Osborne said that after the demonstration, students were able to watch hospital procedures and a prayer service was held to commemorate those who died.
“Unfortunately, I think we all have this idea that it’s not going to happen here or happen to me, and it can. That’s what we want to try to emphasize. These kids have so much going on and it’s not just drinking and driving, it’s distracted driving and cell phones. It’s that split second that you look down that something like this can happen,” Osborne said.
Following the scene at the Sportscenter, Owensboro Health hosted students in its Emergency Department, where a simulated trauma case was reenacted with students portraying victims. They experienced what occurs in the trauma bay when people in impaired-driving crashes are injured or lose their lives. Owensboro Health staff also participatedd by playing various roles. Some, such as doctors, nurses and techs, acted out their jobs. Others played the role of distraught family members.
Other participating agencies included Owensboro Police Department, Owensboro Fire Department, American Medical Response, Air Evac flight ambulance, Haley McGinnis Funeral Home, J&D Towing and Repair, Daviess County Detention Center, and Cinderella’s Closet.
Owensboro Health Regional Hospital Director of Trauma Services Mike Mixson said that getting all agencies to respond to the demonstration will hopefully showcase the severity of the negative decisions behind the wheel.
“This gives us an opportunity to bring a personal connection to the students when we’re able to simulate a motor vehicle collision involving alcohol with students with their peers,” Mixson said. “It means more than seeing a picture, reading something, or seeing something on the news about all these deaths and car accidents.”
