Highland County students attend ‘Prom Promise’ mock disaster
Lead Summary
By
Caitlin Forsha-crforsha@gmail.com
Highland County high school students witnessed firsthand the dangers of drinking and driving on Friday, as local law enforcement agencies hosted the “Prom Promise” mock disaster exercise in Hillsboro.
Highland County Sheriff’s Office DARE Officer Bobby Stroop and Paint Creek Joint Fire/EMS Chief Bradley George led the exercise, along with other first responders from Paint Creek, the Ohio State Highway Patrol, Lynchburg Area Joint Fire and Ambulance District and the Highland County North Joint Fire and Ambulance District.
During this mock disaster – held in two separate sessions on Friday – students from Fairfield, Hillsboro, Lynchburg-Clay and McClain high schools stood at the site of the former Hillsboro High School and watched the aftermath of a head-on car crash.
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One driver, who was uninjured, was arrested for driving under the influence, while passengers with serious injuries were extricated from the vehicle and loaded onto gurneys and into ambulances. A MedFlight helicopter was also called and landed in the field next to the crash.
Students also witnessed as the Ohio State Highway Patrol told the mother of one victim that her child had been killed in the accident. The Ohio State Highway Patrol’s Wilmington post commander, Lt. Stan Jordan, told the students that this is something he has done many times over the years.
“I have, in my career, which is 27 years now, had to go to many people’s houses in the middle of the night and tell them that their child is dead,” Jordan said. “That is not a fun thing to do, and you should see how the parents react.
“When they see me, they know it’s not good. Don’t let your parent be the one that has to suffer that.”
George agreed, saying that when a young crash victim is flown from the scene, it’s even more difficult for the parents.
“This gentleman has to go tell your parents that you were in an accident and may not know what your condition is,” George said. “Then they have to get in a car and drive to Columbus, not knowing.”
Jordan gave the students several tips for safe driving, including wearing a seatbelt; not driving too fast; and avoiding impaired driving.
“I know you guys think this is make-believe,” Jordan told the students. “Something like this happens somewhere every day.”
After the crash exercise, students heard from Lauren Lutton-Freeman, who was seriously injured in an accident as a high school senior.
“You don’t have to be the one drinking and driving for this to happen to you,” Lutton-Freeman said. “I’m standing here to tell you that because I am a survivor of an accident from a drunk driver.
“There are many dates in your life that you’re going to remember – your birthday, prom, graduation, going away to college, leaving home, hopefully getting married and having children. These dates are going to stick out in your mind. One date that sticks out in my mind, more than anything else, more than the birth of my son, more than my marriage, is May 1, 1995.”
Lutton-Freeman talked to the students about the importance of making good decisions. She said that she was an honor student who was enrolled in classes at Southern State Community College through the post-secondary option program. On May 1 – “the Monday before my senior prom” – she chose to skip her morning classes to sleep in and planned to meet her boyfriend (who her mother “hated”) for lunch before going to the college for her afternoon classes.
“I went to see this guy in a car that my mom and dad paid for, with the gasoline that my parents paid for,” Lutton-Freeman said. “But they wouldn’t know, right? I could have lunch with him and be back to Southern State in time for my afternoon classes. Nobody would be the wiser.”
However, after meeting her boyfriend, Lutton-Freeman’s car was hit by a drunk driver, who “rolled his truck and walked out of the accident” with no injuries. On the other hand, her extensive injuries included a broken ankle, femur, pelvis (in two places), sacrum and humerus; a fractured clavicle; a lacerated spleen; a collapsed lung, along with crushing “every single bone” in her face.
Lutton-Freeman’s parents were not notified until “hours later,” she said, after she had already been flown to Miami Valley Hospital and undergone emergency surgery.
“[My mom] was at work,” Lutton-Freeman said. “They were none the wiser. They didn’t know.
“By this time, I was hit by a drunk driver, CareFlighted to Miami Valley Hospital. I had already had emergency surgery. My mom and dad had no idea. They thought I was out at Southern State in class.”
Lutton-Freeman said that her mother was told to head to the hospital immediately and that they were not sure her daughter would be alive upon her arrival.
“Two weeks went by before I woke up and realized I was in the hospital,” Lutton-Freeman said. “Two weeks, I was out of it. I had no idea. I can’t account for it because of a choice I made. I chose to not listen to my parents and to go meet this guy and go do whatever I wanted to do because they wouldn’t know about it. And they didn’t know about it.”
As a result of the accident, Lutton-Freeman said she has had “25 major reconstructive surgeries” and “eight pounds of metal placed throughout my body.” She emphasized the effect this had on her parents.
“The longest surgery I had was 15 and a half hours long,” Lutton-Freeman said. “I made my parents sit through 25 major surgeries because of a choice that I made. I made my parents sit for 15 and a half hours for one surgery so doctors could reconstruct every bone in my face because of a decision that I made. Because I thought I knew better than them.”
Lutton-Freeman’s advice for the students was to listen to their parents.
“They’re not telling you these things to better themselves,” Lutton-Freeman said. “It’s not going to better them if you get good grades. It’s going to better you if you get good grades. That’s why we parents are on you guys because we want you to be safe. We want you to be successful. And your choices affect other people as well.
“May 1, 1995 has haunted me every single day of my life. Every physical problem that I have today is from that car accident, from that choice that I made to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
Following Lutton-Freeman’s presentation, students were invited to check out the mock crash scene, the law enforcement vehicles and helicopter and to speak with local first responders.
Paint Creek public information officer Branden Jackman told The Highland County Press that the presentation is a reminder to high school students during this prom season that they are not “10 feet tall and bulletproof.”
“It’s a moment of realization for them, to actually see what fire and rescue has to do to get people out,” Jackman said. “I think it does tug the heartstrings a little bit.”
Highland County Sheriff’s Office DARE Officer Bobby Stroop and Paint Creek Joint Fire/EMS Chief Bradley George led the exercise, along with other first responders from Paint Creek, the Ohio State Highway Patrol, Lynchburg Area Joint Fire and Ambulance District and the Highland County North Joint Fire and Ambulance District.
During this mock disaster – held in two separate sessions on Friday – students from Fairfield, Hillsboro, Lynchburg-Clay and McClain high schools stood at the site of the former Hillsboro High School and watched the aftermath of a head-on car crash.
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One driver, who was uninjured, was arrested for driving under the influence, while passengers with serious injuries were extricated from the vehicle and loaded onto gurneys and into ambulances. A MedFlight helicopter was also called and landed in the field next to the crash.
Students also witnessed as the Ohio State Highway Patrol told the mother of one victim that her child had been killed in the accident. The Ohio State Highway Patrol’s Wilmington post commander, Lt. Stan Jordan, told the students that this is something he has done many times over the years.
“I have, in my career, which is 27 years now, had to go to many people’s houses in the middle of the night and tell them that their child is dead,” Jordan said. “That is not a fun thing to do, and you should see how the parents react.
“When they see me, they know it’s not good. Don’t let your parent be the one that has to suffer that.”
George agreed, saying that when a young crash victim is flown from the scene, it’s even more difficult for the parents.
“This gentleman has to go tell your parents that you were in an accident and may not know what your condition is,” George said. “Then they have to get in a car and drive to Columbus, not knowing.”
Jordan gave the students several tips for safe driving, including wearing a seatbelt; not driving too fast; and avoiding impaired driving.
“I know you guys think this is make-believe,” Jordan told the students. “Something like this happens somewhere every day.”
After the crash exercise, students heard from Lauren Lutton-Freeman, who was seriously injured in an accident as a high school senior.
“You don’t have to be the one drinking and driving for this to happen to you,” Lutton-Freeman said. “I’m standing here to tell you that because I am a survivor of an accident from a drunk driver.
“There are many dates in your life that you’re going to remember – your birthday, prom, graduation, going away to college, leaving home, hopefully getting married and having children. These dates are going to stick out in your mind. One date that sticks out in my mind, more than anything else, more than the birth of my son, more than my marriage, is May 1, 1995.”
Lutton-Freeman talked to the students about the importance of making good decisions. She said that she was an honor student who was enrolled in classes at Southern State Community College through the post-secondary option program. On May 1 – “the Monday before my senior prom” – she chose to skip her morning classes to sleep in and planned to meet her boyfriend (who her mother “hated”) for lunch before going to the college for her afternoon classes.
“I went to see this guy in a car that my mom and dad paid for, with the gasoline that my parents paid for,” Lutton-Freeman said. “But they wouldn’t know, right? I could have lunch with him and be back to Southern State in time for my afternoon classes. Nobody would be the wiser.”
However, after meeting her boyfriend, Lutton-Freeman’s car was hit by a drunk driver, who “rolled his truck and walked out of the accident” with no injuries. On the other hand, her extensive injuries included a broken ankle, femur, pelvis (in two places), sacrum and humerus; a fractured clavicle; a lacerated spleen; a collapsed lung, along with crushing “every single bone” in her face.
Lutton-Freeman’s parents were not notified until “hours later,” she said, after she had already been flown to Miami Valley Hospital and undergone emergency surgery.
“[My mom] was at work,” Lutton-Freeman said. “They were none the wiser. They didn’t know.
“By this time, I was hit by a drunk driver, CareFlighted to Miami Valley Hospital. I had already had emergency surgery. My mom and dad had no idea. They thought I was out at Southern State in class.”
Lutton-Freeman said that her mother was told to head to the hospital immediately and that they were not sure her daughter would be alive upon her arrival.
“Two weeks went by before I woke up and realized I was in the hospital,” Lutton-Freeman said. “Two weeks, I was out of it. I had no idea. I can’t account for it because of a choice I made. I chose to not listen to my parents and to go meet this guy and go do whatever I wanted to do because they wouldn’t know about it. And they didn’t know about it.”
As a result of the accident, Lutton-Freeman said she has had “25 major reconstructive surgeries” and “eight pounds of metal placed throughout my body.” She emphasized the effect this had on her parents.
“The longest surgery I had was 15 and a half hours long,” Lutton-Freeman said. “I made my parents sit through 25 major surgeries because of a choice that I made. I made my parents sit for 15 and a half hours for one surgery so doctors could reconstruct every bone in my face because of a decision that I made. Because I thought I knew better than them.”
Lutton-Freeman’s advice for the students was to listen to their parents.
“They’re not telling you these things to better themselves,” Lutton-Freeman said. “It’s not going to better them if you get good grades. It’s going to better you if you get good grades. That’s why we parents are on you guys because we want you to be safe. We want you to be successful. And your choices affect other people as well.
“May 1, 1995 has haunted me every single day of my life. Every physical problem that I have today is from that car accident, from that choice that I made to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
Following Lutton-Freeman’s presentation, students were invited to check out the mock crash scene, the law enforcement vehicles and helicopter and to speak with local first responders.
Paint Creek public information officer Branden Jackman told The Highland County Press that the presentation is a reminder to high school students during this prom season that they are not “10 feet tall and bulletproof.”
“It’s a moment of realization for them, to actually see what fire and rescue has to do to get people out,” Jackman said. “I think it does tug the heartstrings a little bit.”