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Home > News & Columns > Michael P. Neufeld > Funeral for Five Mock Crash Victims (Update 4)

Funeral for Five Mock Crash Victims (Update 4)

Staged DUI Accident Claims Student Overnight

By Michael P. Neufeld
Friday, May 16, 2008

Update — Friday 1:10 p.m.

The names of five DUI crash victims were read during the Every 15 Minutes Memorial Assembly at Rim High School Friday morning including Bubba Partida, Cindy Center, Eric Newcombe, Casey Olson and Jacque Hoopes. (Photo by Michael P. Neufeld.)

Blue Jay, CA — A fifth victim of Thursday's staged DUI crash at Rim High School has been claimed by the Grim Reaper.

The Every 15 Minutes Memorial Assembly at Rim High included flowers left at gravesites and caskets, powerful appeals from a CHP officer and a San Bernardino County firefighter, tearful letters read by some of the victims and family members and students signing a pledge not to drink and drive.

Students also watched a video as 17-year-old suspected drunk driver Shelby Bruner was transported by the CHP and booked at the jail in Twin Peaks on felony DUI charges. The video was produced by Rim Today Productions.

When the deceased students read letters to their parents, family and friends almost every one ended with a tearful "Goodbye" driving home the finality of the entire exercise and the importance of not drinking and driving.

Every 15 Minutes Photo Gallery

Update — Friday 5:40 a.m.

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Blue Jay, CA — An assembly will be held TODAY to honor four teenagers who died in a staged automobile collision at Rim High School yesterday during the Every 15 Minutes program.

California Highway Patrol officer Edward Escalera checks one of the fatalities in the Every 15 Minutes mock DUI crash. (Photo by Michael P. Neufeld.)

The assembly will begin at 10:30 a.m. and include a video of the entire chain of events that led to the DUI arrest of a 17-year-old senior and resulted in the mock collision. The suspected drunk driver was portrayed by Shelby Bruner from Lake Arrowhead.

Deputy B.J. Whiteside looks on as the DUI suspect identified as Shelby Bruner witnesses the work of firefighters and paramedics following the recreation of a car crash that claimed four lives. (Photo by Michael P. Neufeld.)

The purpose of Every 15 Minutes is to stress the importance to teenage drivers of not getting behind the wheel of a vehicle when impaired and to always have a designated driver.

San Bernardino County Fire Department personnel transport a crash victim to a local hospital during the Every 15 Minutes Program staged at Rim High. (Photo by Michael P. Neufeld.)

In addition to the student actors, Every 15 Minutes involved the California Highway Patrol, US Forest Service, San Bernardino County Fire, Crest Forest Fire, Caltrans, Rim of the World Unified School District and the San Bernardino County Coroner.

Update 2 — Thursday 2:20 p.m.

Blue Jay, CA — The groans when Rim High students recognized the four victims of a staged DUI crash in the parking lot of the campus explained the impact of the Every 15 Minutes Program.

Even before emergency response teams arrived at Rim High School as part of the Every 15 Minutes program, the Grim Reaper made his presence known to the student body during the very real mock collision. (Photo by Michael P. Neufeld.)

Four young students died in the exercise that involved emergency personnel extracting victims and treating the five injured patients and eventually the arrival of the San Bernardino County Coroner to set up a temporary morgue with four yellow-draped bodies as the Grim Reaper stood in the background.

Crest Forest Fire paramedics treat a patient involved in the Every 15 Minutes program at Rim High School. Four persons died in the mock DUI related crash and five others were injured. (Photo by Michael P. Neufeld.)

In addition to the four fatalities, California Highway Patrol officers administered a field sobriety test to the driver of one of the two vehicles—17-year-old Shelby Bruner from Lake Arrowhead.

California Highway Patrol officer Wally Wood conducts a field sobriety test on 17-year-old Shelby Bruner from Lake Arrowhead. Bruner was arested for DUI during the Every 15 Minutes program staged at Rim High. (Photo by Michael P. Neufeld.)

Bruner, who had been partying with friends before the accident, was arrested on DUI charges and placed in the back of a CHP unit.

A 17-year-old junior told RIMOFTHEWORLD.net that "the general mood at the high school was one of depression, sorrow, and grief at the 'loss' of their friends in a tragic alcohol-related car accident."

Tomorrow, a funeral assembly honoring the four students will be held at Rim High and video shot of the accident, field sobriety, booking and other proceedings related to the Every 15 Minutes Program will be shown.

Every 15 Minutes involved the California Highway Patrol, San Bernardino County Fire Department, San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department, Crest Forest Fire Protection District, US Forest Service, Caltrans and the Rim of the World Unified School District.

Members of the student committee included Jacque Hoopes, Bruner, Christy Center and Courtney Nicholson. The staff committee consisted of Stephanie Phillips, Wendy Lanham, Joe Urbasezwski and Joel Smith.

Update — Thursday 4 a.m.

Blue Jay, CA — Several teenagers will die in a staged DUI automobile collision at Rim High School TODAY challenging students to think about the consequences of drinking and driving.

The realistic presentation of the Every 15 Minutes program includes a full response from police and fire agencies and the temporary closure of Highway 18.

Junior and senior students will be eyewitnesses to the actual extraction of people "injured" in the crash and the placing of students in body bags or being covered by tarps to signify fatalities.

The Grim Reaper will also be present to remind students to always designate a sober driver and to not get behind the wheel of a vehicle when intoxicated.

The two-day presentation concludes Friday with a "funeral" assembly and a video of the arrest of the driver accused of causing the collision that tragically ended the lives of several students.

Original Story

Blue Jay, CA – Next Thursday several teenagers will die in a staged automobile collision at Rim High School during the presentation of the Every 15 Minutes program that offers a real-life experience without the real-life risks.

The crash is staged, the emotions are real as juniors and seniors participate in a two-day program which challenges Rim High students to think about drinking, driving, personal safety, the responsibility of making mature decisions and the impact their decisions have on family, friends and many others.

The goal of setting up the mock crash complete with response from emergency agencies is to reduce alcohol-related incidents among youth and to ensure a healthy community.

Shortly after students arrive to see the mock incident next Thursday morning, police and fire and other emergency personnel will respond with red lights and sirens to the multiple fatality crash and treat it as they would any other multiple-fatality scene. A San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department helicopter will land on campus to transport one of the severely injured teenagers to an area trauma center.

The two-day Every 15 Minutes program is indiscriminate, very dramatic and emotional and purposively so. Rim students are made aware of the tragic results they make involving alcohol can have on themselves and others. The second day a student assembly will show video coverage of the "tragic" event of the proceeding day and include grieving students, parents and friends and highlight the consequences of causing such a collision.

Every 15 Minutes will involve the California Highway Patrol, San Bernardino County Fire Department, San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department, Crest Forest Fire Protection District, Caltrans and the Rim of the World Unified School District.

Students will play the roles of the dead and injured victims and the Grim Reaper will be standing by to claim the lives of several students.

Life's lessons are best learned through experience. Unfortunately, when the target audience is teens and the topic is drinking and driving, experience is not the teacher of choice.

Those students who participate in the staged crash as well as those who will be made-up as the "living dead" will be transported to the Lake Arrowhead Country Club for an overnight student retreat. The retreat will simulate the separation from friends and family. A support staff of counselors and police officers will facilitate the retreat.

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