On Friday October 24, 2008 a group of eight high school students from Goodhue Public School hosted a Mock Crash for the 7-12 student body. The group of actors consisted of: Richard Bigelow, Erin Gadient, Peter Watson, Laura Watson, Karen O'Connor, Kelley Mann, Treyben Kehren, Kelsey Dressen.  The Mock Crash event was coordinated by Katie Lichtblau.  

Each of the students had a different reaction to the Mock Crash. Some of the students did not take it as serious as the group of actors had hoped they would. Others were fully engaged by the experience and became emotional at the sight of their friends in that situation.

The student actors played different roles.  Two of them were injured persons in the crash and had to be transported via ambulance. One student played the role of the intoxicated driver, one played the deceased victim.  Three students played persons with minor injuries, and one was critically injured and had to be transported via helicopter.

Katie Lichtblau planned and coordinated the event.  Some of the planning steps included contacting Zumbrota Ambulance Service, Mayo One Emergency Center, Red Wing Radio Station, Goodhue Fire Department, Goodhue County Sheriffs Office, Goodhue Local Police Force, Schafer Transportation, and Siewert’s Towing to name a few. As the event coordinator, Katie stated that it was a lot of work, but she had great actors and phenomenal resources; she believes that this event will be remembered by students for years to come.

Some of the "bloopers" nobody predicted and the audience wasn't aware of included: no sound effects of a crash scene (technology problems), and the gate where the helicopter was suppose to land was locked (eventually a administrator was able to open this discreetly). The mock crash actors shared their reflections on the event, stating that it was a great learning event and they believed it would make an impact on the students.  They also stated that they had a lot of fun and made some great memories during practices.  The actors felt that it was a lot of work but worth it, and that they would always remember participating in this awareness and prevention event. One of the students (the deceased one) commented that she didn't realize she was being transported in a hearse and laughed when she realized what she was in.

Katie Lichtblau said that one of the most difficult aspects of conducting the mock crash was arranging a practice schedule that fit all participants’ schedules.  Also, there were no notes from the previous mock car crash in Goodhue (4 years ago) and so she had to start from scratch!  Katie has rectified this oversight for the next Goodhue Mock Crash Coordinator: she has a thick red binder filled with all the material and information used throughout the planning process for the event.

 One of the many questions the actors and coordinator are asked is, "How did this get started and why did you choose to become involved?"  The mock crash event was an idea that was generated through Minnesota FCCLA (Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America).   Two Goodhue students, Kelsey Dressen and Katie Lichtblau, attended a FCCLA event last summer that presented information about prevention projects such as Mock Car Crash events.  Taking that information, Katie came back to Goodhue with a plan to conduct a mock crashes and the rest is history.

The students that dedicated their time to make this event a reality said that they wanted to become involved for many reasons. One student said that he wanted to become involved because he had been in an accident and wanted to make an impression on others. Other students thought it would be a fun event to be involved with and they would learn from the activity.

After the mock crash, Gary and Shirley Hoyme from Zumbrota talked to the student body about the loss of their daughter to a drunk driver.  Their presentation was very emotional and meaningful for the students.  Their story personalized for all of us the tragic consequences that drunk driving produces in our society.  We are very grateful for their participation in the Goodhue Mock Crash event.

Katie Lichtblau

Tia Schimek                  Chair

Joanne Gudvangen        Vice Chair

Emily Staples                Secretary

Judy Ramboldt              Treasurer

Marla Simmons

Anita Otterness

Mike Gustafuson

Rebecca Schimek

Lance Bremer

Tris Danielson