By Stephanie Grinnell

Staff Writer

Traffic slowed on Hills Beach Road as sirens wailed in the distance while University of New England students gathered in front of the Campus Center were met with a gruesome accident scene. For the first time on the Biddeford campus, UNE students were witness to “Fatal Reality,” a demonstration of a vehicle crash involving a drunk driver and a “dead” classmate.

The program was organized by senior Shawn Johnson, a  member of UNE’s Emergency Medical Services as part of his senior citizenship project. 

Johnson said drinking and driving takes place on all college campuses, despite most college students being underage. He said Fatal Reality is a good way to reinforce the message that drinking alcohol and driving can be very dangerous. 

“It gives [students] a really powerful way to experience it firsthand,” he said. 

The project took Johnson months to organize. He said he invited all of the participants to two separate meetings to go over the scenario. 

“The really challenging part is to get everybody on the same page,” he said.

The accident simulation involved Biddeford Fire Department, Biddeford Police Department, LifeFlight of Maine, UNE Emergency Medical Services (UNE EMS) and Bibber Memorial Chapel. Johnson said the UNE staff had to go through landing zone training in order to include LifeFlight in the scenario. 

The university’s emergency medical services program serves as first responders alongside the university security staff, Johnson said. They are the initial medical personnel that respond to emergencies on campus. A total of 18 UNE EMS staff participated in Fatal Reality. 

Students volunteered to become accident victims for the demonstration. Junior Robert Cochrane played a deceased victim in the crash. 

“I thought I was going to be walking wounded, so it was quite a surprise,” Cochrane said. 

He said he saw a Fatal Reality demonstration when he was a high school student, but said being a participant gave him a new point of view. 

“It was different,” Cochrane, who spent the majority of the demonstration lying on the ground covered with a blanket, said. 

Once the rest of the living patients were cared for, representatives from Bibber Memorial Chapel arrived to take care of Cochrane. They loaded him into a black body bag, placed him on a stretcher and transferred him to the waiting hearse. 

In another rare occurrence for the fire department, the entire roof of the crashed van was removed. Fire Chief Robert Fournier said the department does not often have the chance to use the Jaws of Life to remove the roof of a van, which has more windows and supports than a car. 

Johnson said he thought the simulation went well, with all involved agencies arriving on time and taking appropriate action. He said he wanted the demonstration to be as realistic as possible, including the time it normally takes for the fire department to arrive at UNE, so fire trucks and an ambulance already on campus delayed their arrival as if they had been coming from Central Station on Alfred Street. 

First on the scene was Biddeford Police Officer Matthew Baldwin, who assessed the “injuries” to the vehicle’s passengers. Once medical personnel arrived, Baldwin began investigating the crash, questioning the driver and conscious passengers. 

One belligerent passenger of the vehicle initially refused to let medical personnel treat her injuries. She pulled away as they tried to assist her and repeatedly yelled for one of the other passengers of the vehicle, who was seriously injured and could not respond. 

Two people remained in the vehicle as firefighters used the Jaws of Life and an air wrench to remove the roof of the van. Firefighters and medical personnel covered the victims with blankets to prevent further injury, while other medical personnel held the heads and necks of the victims steady until they could be fitted with neck collars. 

Johnson’s research showed “one out of every two Americans will be involved in an alcohol related accident in his or her lifetime.” He said alcohol related crashes are the leading cause of death for people between the ages of 16 and 24 years old.

In the shadow of the accident scene, four students shared additional statistics about drunk driving in Maine using microphones while the fire department cleaned up their equipment. Students were allowed to quiz the LifeFlight personnel and see the inside of the helicopter as well as inspect the battered remains of the crashed vehicle. 

Fournier said there was another Fatal Reality simulation earlier in the day at Biddeford High School. He said it was easier on department personnel to schedule both reenactments on the same day. 

Johnson said he wanted to have the event last month in conjunction with drunk driving awareness week but deferred to the availability of the fire department. 

A benefit to UNE EMS, the fire and police departments is the extra training they get during Fatal Reality, Johnson said. He said UNE EMS does not usually train with either department, so the demonstration was a good practice run for any serious accident that may occur on the campus. 

Johnson had the support of the Biddeford Police Department for his endeavor. 

“The Biddeford Police Department supports Shawn’s and UNE’s efforts. If it makes one student think twice before getting behind the wheel or a car or can stop a friend from driving drunk, it’s worth it,” Deputy Chief JoAnne Fisk said in a written statement. 

Contact Stephanie Grinnell by calling 282-4337 ext. 213 or email news@inthecourier.com.