CHS SADD Sponsor, Cheri Diercks-Boyd, and Chester Fire Department’s Tim Crow coordinate activities to encourage students’ safe choices
By Jim Beers
CHESTER – For decades Chester High School has hosted numerous prom week activities to encourage safe choices for students. Historically nation-wide, homecoming week, prom week and graduation week have been famous for students who make poor choices which often lead to accidents, serious drug and alcohol activities, and unfortunately deaths among high school students.
It has been many years, (pre-COVID) since Chester High has held an automobile accident re-enactment during either prom week or drug and alcohol awareness week. This year Chester High School SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions) Sponsor, Cheri Diercks-Boyd, solicited the help and advice of Tim Crow, Chester Fire Department Captain, to coordinate and rejuvenate the practice of hosting a “mock” car accident to allow students to know exactly what poor decisions can lead to.
Chester Fire Chief, Marty Bert, said, “Tim Crow is our ‘go-to’ guy when it comes to organizing and coordinating the automobile accident re-enactments. He is great at what he does and really enjoys contacting all of the various emergency management services that are involved when a serious auto accident occurs. He is the best!”
When contacted, Crow modestly said, “It took a lot of individuals and many phone calls to organize this event. I had the cooperation of numerous individuals and agencies in putting it together and everyone was very helpful in working with me to make it happen!”
For example, Crow said it took three in-person meetings with many of the key personnel involved with the project and he had to make a multitude of phone calls securing the different emergency agencies to take part in the re-enactment.
Cheri Diercks-Boyd did most of the coordinating of Chester High School personnel. Chester Police Chief Bobby Helmers arranged for the involvement of the Illinois State Police Troopers who attended and took part in the “mock” accident. Randolph County Sheriff Jarrod Peters had his deputies were on hand and at the event to help coordinate and observe. CHS Principal Jeremy Blechle and Assistant Principal Robin Barton were instrumental working with Ms. Diercks-Boyd in coordinating the CHS activities.
The event began with an all-school assembly held in Colbert Memorial Gymnasium. Students were greeted by Principal Blechle who asked for their undivided attention and stressed the seriousness of making good decisions regarding involvement in various dangerous activities.
He then told of his personal experiences with the loss of two Chester High School students involved in car accidents when he was a senior in high school. He warned of the lasting impact that will stay with students the rest of their lives. Once students witness or become involved with the experience the death of a fellow student (after that student decided to make a poor decision relating to dangerous behaviors) it never leaves the minds of those survivors.
Blechle then introduced the guest speaker for the assembly, Illinois State Trooper Rodger Goins. Trooper Goins is from the Anna-Jonesboro area and works in the State Police Public Relations-Safety Education Department. He interacts with 2,000 to 3,000 students per month in his visits to Southern Illinois Schools in efforts to stress good decision-making.
Goins was assisted by Trooper McKune from Collinsville, Illinois. He works for the State-Wide Unit in helping to positively influence students in making good decisions regarding alcohol, drugs, distracted driving, etc.
Trooper Goins spoke for approximately 30 minutes. He based much of his talk about a terrible accident he dealt with in 2017 when a Benton High School student, Lacy Kay Horn, was killed when she was coming home from an activity.
While she was driving, she was texting and driving at a high rate of speed. She drove off of the road, rolled over several times, and ended up striking a tree. She died at the scene.
Her father, Jim Horn, donated the mangled truck Lacy was driving to the State Police to use at assemblies and other such events to help impress upon students that it is extremely dangerous to drink and drive, text and drive, drive at high rates of speed, or vape and drive, especially if marijuana is added to the vape material.
It was also stressed that most often drinking is what leads to the most teen traffic accidents and deaths. Trooper Goins then vividly explained what was involved with an accidental death caused by a driving accident.
The processing at an accident scene involving a death takes 5-to-6 hours. Much time is taken awaiting the arrival of emergency personnel, the coroner, and ambulances or helicopters if the weather permits. Bodies cannot be touched until a coroner arrives in the cases of deaths.
Live victims must have blood and urine tests to determine if drugs or alcohol were involved. Parents and other loved ones must be kept back from the scene until the processing is complete and in the cases of deaths, it is often not good to allow parents to see their children in the shape they are in, especially when blood, brains, mangled bodies, and dismemberment are involved.
Finally, Goins begged the students NOT to drink, NOT to drink and drive, and NOT to get into a car with anyone who has been drinking. Parents that allow drinking are in violation of the law. They are now held accountable if a person leaves their property after drinking alcohol and an accident occurs.
To end the assembly, Trooper Goins stated that he knew prom was this weekend at CHS and that he strongly encouraged all students to think before making poor choices. He did NOT want to have to come to Chester to process an auto accident scene this weekend!
Immediately following the assembly, everyone was instructed to go outside and view the mangled truck of Benton teen, Lacy Kay Hood. The truck bore a sign that read, “Lacy’s final text!”
The auto accident re-enactment began shortly after 2 p.m. with an announcement of an auto accident having occurred at Chester High School.
Within seconds, the sounds of police sirens, ambulance sirens, and Chester Fire Trucks and emergency vehicle sirens storming down Swanwick Street to CHS.
Upon arrival, Mike Lochhead, of the CFD, began narrating what all first responders were doing in response to a two-car accident with injuries and one fatality. Fire department personnel immediately began to inspect the vehicles and communicated with ambulance personnel from Med Star Ambulance personnel regarding injuries.
Four CHS students volunteered to play the roles of victims in the mock accident. They had been placed in the cars prior to the arrival of students and makeup had been applied to create a realistic scenario.
Senior Alex Williamson was extricated from one vehicle and placed in a Med Star Ambulance with serious injuries.
Sophomore Kanon Jany was extricated and placed in handcuffs due to having caused the accident due to drinking and driving. He was placed in a Chester Police Unit.
Sophomore Alex Blechle was extricated from the vehicle in which he was riding. He was determined to have life-threatening injuries. Finally, Whitney Sulser, a senior, was extricated, but was thought to be dead at the scene.
Soon thereafter, another vehicle roared upon the scene. This vehicle carried Tracy Vallet, Randolph County Coroner. It was explained that Whitney could not be pronounced dead until the coroner could get there and make the determination.
Crow explained that in reality, Vallet actually had a serious accident in Red Bud earlier that day and had to process that scene just prior to the re-enactment at CHS. This caused the reenactment to be delayed a bit since Vallet was not available until she was finished in Red Bud. Trooper Goins had stated in his assembly that in fatalities, the entire process of dealing with the accident could not be completed until the coroner arrived on scene.
Likewise, the Arch Helicopter that was supposed to land in the landing zone behind CHS to carry Alex Blechle to a St. Louis Hospital, was late arriving due to being involved in the Red Bud accident. This also added “reality” to the CHS re-enactment.
Blechle was eventually loaded onto the Arch Helicopter. The copter would have actually flown Blechle to the hospital, however, high winds and the delayed arrival of the Arch Helicopter made it impossible to perform the actual flight.
The entire time of the above happenings, Chester Police and Firemen worked “feverishly” to extricate (or actually use the Jaws of Life and Power Saws) to cut victims out of the vehicles.
Also during the entire re-enactment, Randolph County Sheriff Jarrod Peters and his Deputies along with Chester Police Officers and Illinois State Troopers controlled the area and assisted with the fatality.
Towards the end of the re-enactment, Accident Coordinator Crow, and Randolph County Coroner, Tracy Vallet, each spoke to the entire CHS student body and closed the experience with words of wisdom regarding making safe decisions and avoiding such accident scenes as they had just watched.
The students were positioned within just feet of where the “mock Accident” was taking place. Students witnessed “Close Up” what was going on throughout the re-enactment. The event concluded as the Arch Helicopter arrived and loaded Alex Blechle onto the helicopter.
Crow thanked those who helped make the re-enactment possible, including the Chester High School Principal Jeremy Blechle. Assistant Principal Robin Barton, and District #139 Superintendent Kimberly Briggs; Chester Fire Department and Chief Marty Bert; Chester Police Department and Chief Bobby Helmers; Illinois State Troopers Rodger Goins and Trooper McKune; Randolph Country Sheriff Jarrod Peters and his deputies; Randolph County Coroner, Tracy Vallet; Arch Helicopter Service, MedStar Ambulance Service; Chester Mayor Tom Page; CHS SADD Sponsor Cheri Diercks-Boyd; and Chester High School Teachers and students.
Crows stressed how much work, cooperation and coordination it took to make this life-changing experience happen to help encourage good decision-making for the CHS student body.
Local law enforcement personnel pose for a photo in front of the mangled truck driven by Benton High School student Lacy Kay Hood back in 2017. Hood died in the one-vehicle accident when she crashed while driving at a high rate of sped while texting. The truck is brought to events such as the “mock accident held at Chester High School Wednesday April 9. It was pro week at CHS, and authorities wanted to create awareness of how important it is to make good decisions while driving. Pictured left to right, are Randolph County Deputy Brad Gielow; Illinois State Trooper McKune; Illinois State Trooper Rodger Goins; Chester Mayor Tom Page; Randolph County Chief Deputy Ryan Coffey; Randolph County Sheriff Jarrod Peters, and Randolph County Deputy, Eric Steely. Jim Beers Photo
Jeremy Blechle, Chester High School Principal, addresses the all-school safety assembly Wednesday April 9 held in CHS Colbert Memorial Gymnasium. Blechle strongly encouraged students to make good, healthy decisions not only during Prom Week, but always! He noted several examples of poor decision-making that led to fatalities to CHS students when he was a student at CHS. Blechle then introduced the guest speaker for the assembly, Illinois State Trooper Rodger Goins. Jim Beers Photo
Illinois State Trooper Rodger Goins speaks to the entire student body at Chester High School Wednesday April 9 at an all-school assembly. It was Prom Week at CHS and Trooper Goins strongly\y encouraged students to make good decisions especially when thinking about drinking and driving, taking drugs and driving, texting and driving, driving at high rates of speed, and driving while distracted. Goins used the death of Benton High School teen Lacy Kay Hood back in 2017 as an example of what can happen when texting and driving. His 20-minute talk was very vivid and fully explained what happens at the scene of a fatal accident. Goin’s reality-based talk gave students a wonderful basis for making good decisions when it comes to diving under all circumstances. His fact-based encouragement was an excellent way to face the potential challenges of being offered dangerous options throughout the teen years. Jim Beers Photo
Students line the street on both sides of the road to watch the Prom Week “Mock Car Accident” at Chester High School. The students had a front row view of first responders working to extricate actors from the two-car accident and deal with both death and serious injuries. The re-enactment was designed to strongly\y encourage good decision-making when faced with the temptation to drive while under the influence of many bad influences. Jim Beers Photo
First responders load an accident victim (Alex Williamson) onto a MedStar Ambulance during the “Mock Accident” help at Chester High School. Jim Beers Photo
Chester High School senior Whitney Sulser (left) played the role of an accident fatality during the April 9 “Mock Accident” held at CHS. With Sulser is Randolph County Coroner, Tracy Vallet. who had just pronounced Sulser dead at the scene of the accident. Sulser was actually put into a body nag after being extricated from her vehicle in the role play situation. It is quite apparent that Whitney was happy that her death experience was only role play and that Tracy Vallet really did not have to deal with an actual death. Jim Beers Photo
Randolph County Coroner, Tracy Vallet (right) and Chester Fire Fighter, Tim Crow (left) address students at the “Mock Accident” re-enactment Wednesday April 9 at Chester High School. The two strongly encouraged students to make good decisions regarding driving under the influence of several situations and brought home the realities of making poor decisions and driving. Jim Beers Photo
Local first responders move an accident victim away from the mangled vehicle he had just been extricated from at the accident re-enactment held at Chester High School Wednesday April 9. Students watch the life-saving work done by the first responders. Jim Beers Photo
First Responders load actor, Sophomore Alex Blechle, onto an Arch Helicopter at the end of the “Mock Accident” re-enactment held Wednesday April 9 at Chester High School. In the re-enactment, Blechle was supposed to have received very serious life-threatening injuries due to a two-car accident. Thes injuries required that Blechle be flown to a St. Louis hospital for his emergency treatment. Jim Beers Photo
This photo tells the whole story of what can happen if you text and drive. The truck on the trailer is the actual truck that was driven by Benton High School teen, Lacy Kay Hood back in 2017. She was driving home after attending a high school activity and was driving at a high rate of speed and was texting too. This caused her to drive off the road, roll over several times, and eventually\y hit a tree. She was killed instantly at the scene. Her father, Jim Hood, donated Lacy’s truck to the Illinois State Police to use as a message to other teens to not text and drive. Trooper Rodger Goines now takes the mangled truck to schools and other safety events across Illinois as a demonstration of what can happen when you drive detracted. Notice the sign on the back of the truck. “Lacy’s Last Text!” Jim Beers Photo