A mock ATV Crash was held at Harpeth High School during the Harpeth FFA Annual Car Show on April 23, 2022 (Photo Submitted)
Cheatham County 4-H and Harpeth High School FFA, in partnership with Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, hosted a mock ATV Crash on April 23, 2022 at Harpeth High School during the Harpeth FFA Annual Car Show.
With assistance from Kingston Springs Fire Department, Cheatham County EMS, and Anita DeFrancesca, students were able to act out a mock ATV crash which showed the audience the consequences of unsafe riding. In the last data obtained, Tennessee ranks 7th in the nation in ATV related fatalities. It is also one of the highest admitted traumas at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt.
Through this partnership, which is sponsored by Ford Motor Company Fund and Polaris Foundation, our team has shared ATV Safety awareness throughout the county. Our Core Leadership group has shared the dangers of unsafe riding with youth and promoted an online ATV Safety course provided by the ATV Safety Institute.
The realistic scene depicted a head-on collision between a family car and a car being driven by an impaired driver leaving prom (Photo: CCSD)
On April 28, Sycamore High School hosted their mock crash. The school, its School Resource Officer James Bertinotti and Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) Club spearheaded the mock crash meant to be impactful and informative during prom season.
The realistic scene that depicted a head-on collision between a family car and a car being driven by an impaired driver leaving prom, was meant to "raise awareness against impaired driving and the devastating consequences that could be a result of one life-changing decision," Bertinotti says.
In the reenactment, the impaired driver was seen being arrested as his decision to drive while impaired resulted in the loss of life of one of his passengers, another passenger requiring LifeFlight, and multiple injuries to the family involved.
"All of this would not have been possible without the Cheatham County Community Enhancement Coalition, Sycamore High School staff and its SADD Club, the Cheatham County Sheriff’s Office, Pleasant View Volunteer Fire Department, Pleasant View Police Department, Cheatham County Emergency Medical Services, Vanderbilt LifeFlight, Cheatham County 911 Dispatch, and E & E towing," Bertinotti says. "Each agency participated and helped make this event successful!"
Before the mock crash, over 400 juniors and seniors attended an assembly where they listened to speeches by Tanya Read with Mothers Against Drunk Driving and the Tennessee Highway Patrol.
