Published: March 02, 2007 11:59 am         

Every 15 Minutes

Emotions run deep as Mineral Wells High School students, parents and faculty take part in program that aims to show teens the grim possibilities of driving under the influence of alcohol

By Libby Cluett
lcluett@mineralwellsindex.com

For most Mineral Wells residents, Thursday morning offered business as usual. The wind was strong and the sun was out.

However, emotions were high at Mineral Wells High School.

In a staged car wreck, students lost two classmates, three more were taken to Palo Pinto General Hospital and treated for injuries and one was taken to jail.

These students were part of the “Every 15 Minutes” program. In addition to the six involved in the car wreck, a person posed as the “Grim Reaper” pulled one student out of class every 15 minutes throughout the school day.

Thursday’s simulated events symbolized the loss of life every 15 minutes from car accidents involving drunken drivers.

“If we can save one kid from a drinking and driving accident, then it’s worth it,” said project coordinator Vicki Bowman, Human Resources Manager at Corrections Corporation of America.

Bowman along with students, MWHS faculty and well over 20 emergency personnel from the fire department, EMS, highway patrol and law enforcement orchestrated Thursday’s re-enactment. She first saw the event acted out at a CCA facility in Idaho with the intention of bringing it to Mineral Wells.

It had such an affect on her that she brought together a team of students, parents, teachers and emergency professionals to hold this program in 2005 and brought the two-day program back this year.

“In the beginning, everyone is taking it lightly,” said Bowman about the morning of the first day. “They don’t see the importance of the program.”

“By the time the program is over, reality sets in. When they see their parents breaking down, that seems to make a difference [to the students]. It doesn’t just affect them, it affects their parents, classmates and the whole community,” she added.

At the mock crash scene, two cars collided head-on. One contained three senior female cheerleaders, returning from a competition and trying to reach their male buddies by cell phone. Another car had three young drunken males, who just left a party, looking for the cheerleaders and for more alcohol.

Shortly after the crash, fire trucks arrived, followed by ambulances, state troopers and many other emergency and law enforcement personnel.

Emergency crews worked quickly to stabilize the cars and cut passengers out with hydraulic equipment such as saws and the Jaws of Life.

“Don’t be scared. You’re going to hear a lot of noises. That’s just the rescue squad stabilizing the car,” said one female emergency crew member who wore a microphone.

Students watched as their classmates were pulled from the vehicles and taken away by ambulance. One was flown away by an Air Evac Lifeteam helicopter.

Air Evac light nurse Kevin Kinder and paramedic Eddie Smith said they had to mock-intubate cheerleader Alyssa Youngblood. To do so, they “administered” an analgesic, sedatative and medication to paralyze her so she would not have a severe gag reflex that might endanger the flight and crew.

At the hospital, Youngblood was given Epinephrine and Atropine to jolt her system out of cardiac arrest. She coded and was declared “dead” at 10:47 a.m.

The “drunken driver,” Bryce Harrington, was eager to see his girlfriend Alyssa Youngblood. Not only did he kill her, but he also “killed” his good friend Nathan Blakley and injured classmates Dillon Hickey, Sharee Beck and Courtney Shelton.

Harrington was “booked” for two counts of intoxicated manslaughter and appeared before a judge who set his bond at $75,000.

His girlfriend, Youngblood, was looking forward to, “Graduating, going to college, having a family and becoming a pediatrician.” She just finished cheerleading and was eager to plan a date with Blakley for the weekend.

“It’s a life-changing experience,” Youngblood said about the “Every 15 Minutes” program and mock car crash.

The sounds made an indelible impression on Youngblood and her friend Shelton. Shelton had a protruding compound fracture on her forearm made of chicken bones, fake skin and blood. She was trapped in the back seat and emergency crews sawed off the car roof to remove her.

“It’s really scary, especially when they were sawing the vehicle.” said Shelton.

As she “recovered” in the hospital ER, Shelton, who competes in powerlifting, said that if this was reality she would be upset that she broke her arm and could not lift at state competition on March 16.

Dillon Hickey said of the crash scenario, “I didn’t feel good about it. I was doing fine [as he sat in the back seat of the car] and then Bryce came over to the window and touched my arm and was crying. Then I started crying.”

Parents arrived at the hospital not long after the crash. Diana Miller, Dillon Hickey’s mother was glad her son was alive. Hickey, who was a back seat passenger in the drunk driver’s car, suffered a compound fracture on his knee. According to Miller, a nurse, her son’s knee injury – and the hangover he would suffer – would be the least of his worries.

“Whatever is broken, we can fix it. At least he’s alive,” said Miller who thought she would be very upset if this was a real situation.

Kathy and Hoss Blakley met with Dr. John Jones, Emergency Room Director and a counselor to hear the news that their son Nathan “died” at the scene.

Jones walked the parents back to the hospital “morgue” where Rual Perkins from Baum-Carlock-Bumgardner Funeral Home unzipped a body bag enough to uncover Nathan Blakley’s face so his parents could say “goodbye.”

His mother lovingly touched her son and kissed his forehead as real tears ran down her face.

Kathy Blakley said she felt like she was in denial with the thought that her son “died” in this accident. Hoss Blakley said, if this was a true incident, he would miss, “Getting to see [Nathan] play baseball this evening and hear his voice.”

“We just went through this with some real close friends and it hits home,” said Kathy Blakley.

According to Bowman, the students involved in the crash and those taken by the Grim Reaper went to Southside Church of Christ where they developed team-building skills on the ropes course. Later, they heard a spokesperson from MADD and wrote goodbye letters to their parents.

“Every 15 Minutes” concluded this morning with a video of Thursday’s events and a “memorial service” at the MWHS auditorium.