A SOBERING REMINDER - Clinton High School Principal Maureen Tiller gave students fair warning about the realistic nature of the mock, fatal DUI crash set out March 24 at the CHS track. Clinton High School and the City of Clinton Department of Public Safety partners on a pre-prom message about the need for defensive driving, and staying away from drugs and alcohol, speeding and districted driving. "A seat belt will make it a lot easier for the ambulance driver to find you," Clinton DPS Director Robin Morse told the students, referring to the fact that many times unbelted drivers are thrown from vehicles, especially in roll-over wrecks. The CHS Prom will be April 16, and the mock crash served as a reminder of what can happen - tragically - in a split second. Drama students at CHS portrayed the wreck victims, and students in the Red Devil Firefighting Class trained on extraction from a vehicle and dealing with the hazards of working a wreck scene. A medi-vac helicopter landed on the infield in the middle of the CHS track, and first responders, Laurens County EMS and the Coroner's Office demonstrated how they deal with a fatal wreck scene. Law enforcement took one person into "custody," following a field sobriety test - she is being held without bond on multiple charges of "felony driving under the influence, with great bodily harm".
--Photos by Vic MacDonald for MyClintonNews.com
