By Mary O’KEEFE

On Wednesday, CV High School juniors and seniors stood at the side of Ramsdell Avenue and watched a drama unfold. The players were classmates, some covered in fake blood, some crying and others lying in silence. The scene was a staged accident and the students were actors playing roles they hope will never become reality.
This was all part of Every 15 Minutes, an educational program that teaches teens the dangers and consequences of driving under the influence.
Early in the day the Grim Reaper visited a classroom every 15 minutes to symbolically take a student who succumbed to a drunk driving related accident.
The accident staged on Ramsdell Avenue portrayed a drunk driver who had hit a young girl crossing the street, killing her. His car then hit another vehicle killing others. Seniors and juniors watched the scene play out as emergency personnel rushed to the various victims. Law enforcement and fire personnel responded as they would to a real emergency.
“Are you okay?  Can you tell me what happen?” asked California Highway Patrol Officer Ming-Yang Hsu.
Hurt kids were treated, firefighters used the jaws of life to rescue a victim. Then the coroner’s van arrived.
The teen portraying the drunk driver ran through the same process that would be used in a real driving under the influence investigation.  The entire procedure played out in front of the student body watching from the sidewalk.
The driver was handcuffed and placed in the back of the patrol vehicle and taken to jail. The injured students were taken to the hospital where the tragic play continued.
Next week CV Weekly follows the students as they go through a real court drama where the driver faces criminal charges of driving under the influence and the completion of the program.