Students at Holy Family School in Red Deer witnessed a mock accident Tuesday morning, which looked quite real.
In order to celebrate North America Occupation Health and Safety (NAOSH) week in Red Deer the Grade 5 students witnessed a reenactment of an accident caused by a distracted driver.
The RCMP, HSE Integrated, Studon Electric & Controls Inc. and the City of Red Deer- Electric Light and Power made the mock accident possible for the students to teach them about safety and distracted drivers.
The accident scenario was a result of a student on a skateboard texting on her phone, played by Lacey Wutzke, health safety and environment co-coordinator for Studon Electric, which caused a vehicle to swerve and hit a power pole.
The reenactment resulted in the driver being hurt in the collision as well as Wutzke, who was injured due to damage to a power line.
“This demonstration gives children the basics and it is important for them to learn at an early age,” said Wutzke, who was loaded onto a stretcher and hauled into an ambulance.
The reenactment allowed the students to see first hand emergency crews in action and learn what to do if an accident occurs.
Lisa Vogt, health and safety co-coordinator for the Red Deer Catholic School Division played the role of the mother who was stopped from entering the scene to check on her daughter because of the power line.
“It is about safety, and this is what we are trying do is show the students what they can do,” said Vogt.
“If we are teaching kids at an early age about being aware of the street safety throughout the summer months then we are hoping that it will prevent accidents,” said Vogt.
Distracted driving was added into the reenactment to teach kids about the new safety laws that were put in place.
Along with the reenactment the students learned about how to react in an emergency situation and Vogt hopes that it will make an impression on the students.
“It is all about education and training because you can never reduce all the risks so hopefully we made an impact to the students to get them to stop and think when playing or at school,” said Vogt.
tsigurdson@reddeerexpress.com
