DEWAYNE HOLLOWAY
montcnews2@windstream.net
Montgomery County students witnessed a sobering reenactment Monday as area law enforcement, EMTs and volunteer fire departments presented Project Prom at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds.
Project Prom utilized several illustrations from accident simulations to first hand accounts to impress upon students the dangers of drinking and driving.
The event simulates an accident caused by a student driving while intoxicated after prom. It featured students from area schools to add to the realism.
The simulation involved two vehicles. One was occupied by a couple of students coming from a party where the driver had been drinking. The second vehicle was occupied by four students on their way to a church lock-in after prom.
Students stood a safe distance away while local law enforcement officers, first responders and volunteer firemen responded just as they would to a real accident.
In the simulation the driver who was under the influence was arrested while others were treated for their injuries. They also depicted the death of some of those involved in the accident.
Montgomery County District Judge Bill McKimm spent time talking about the legal side of drinking and driving which includes possible jail time and civil law suits. He also talked to students about the financial and emotional effects an accident could have on their families.
Justice of the Peace Melissa Powell read a poem written from the perspective of a teen age daughter talking to her mother as she dies from injuries suffered in an accident involving a drunk driver.
Students also heard personal testimony from Brad Tillery. Tillery was injured in an accident when he was 17 years old. He shared that his blood alcohol level at the time of his accident was 0.29, nearly three times the legal limit at the time of his accident.
Tillery suffered life altering injuries as the result of his accident and had to overcome severe emotional trauma as a result of his accident.
Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Chad Davis described an accident he worked involving a drunk driver. The car the driver was driving at the time of the accident was on hand for students to see. Two people were killed in the accident he described.
The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office presents Project Prom to inform area students of the realities of drinking and driving.
They would like to thank Arkansas Department of Health, Montgomery County Office of Emergency Management, the Office of Emergency Management, Montgomery County Fair Board, Mount Ida/South Fork VFD, Joplin VFD, Southwest EMS, Survival Flight, Arkansas State Police, Montgomery County Coroner’s Office, Thornton Funeral Home, Mount Ida School District, Caddo Hills School District, Ouachita River School District Oden Campus, Double A Wrecker Service, Polished Salon, Montgomery County District Court Judge Bill McKimm, Melissa Powell, Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office.
