ELLSWORTH — Tragedy unfolded next to the Ellsworth High School tennis courts Tuesday.
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ELLSWORTH — Tragedy unfolded next to the Ellsworth High School tennis courts Tuesday.
A two-vehicle accident left two students dead, two injured and one in handcuffs — charged with operating while under the influence.
It was all very real, except it wasn’t.
The grisly mock accident scene was staged as part of the Every 15 Minutes program, which aims to prevent drunk-driving fatalities.
This is the fifth time the event has been staged at Ellsworth High School. The program was revived this year after EHS junior Jeremy Ogden approached the Ellsworth Fire Department.
“I’m a volunteer firefighter for my town [Hancock],” Ogden explained. “I’m always afraid that I’m going to be called to an accident scene and it’ll be one of my friends in it.”
He said the months of planning that went into organizing the event will be well worth it if even one life is saved.
A committee of police, firefighters, school staff and students coordinated Every 15 Minutes.
On Tuesday morning, a costumed Grim Reaper pulled students from their classrooms every 15 minutes to demonstrate lives lost in alcohol-related accidents.
In 2010, more than 10,000 people died in alcohol-impaired driving crashes, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. That is one death every 51 minutes.
Ellsworth native Cyndi Wood is the new media editor at fenceviewer.com. She began her reporting career in 2007, when she joined the staff of The Ellsworth American.
Website: ellsworthamerican.com