Emergency workers stage an accident under the influence of alcohol to send a strong message to students

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted on May 31, 2024 at 5:34 pm

Photos by Tom Rivers

HOLLEY – Sierra Apicella and her brother Xander are asked to look inside a body bag where their younger sister Jasmine pretended to be dead. Jasmine’s face was painted to look like blood.

At right is County Medical Examiner Scott Schmidt. At left is Holley Police Officer AJ Fisher.

Holley EMS staged a drunk driving accident in front of the middle and high school. Six students were involved in the accident. Five were injured and Jasmine was pronounced dead at the scene.

Sierra Apicella, 22, was overwhelmed with emotion after seeing her sister lying motionless, pretending to have been fatally injured in a car accident. Her 25-year-old brother also said it was difficult to see her younger sister in such a state.

“It was shocking,” Sierra said after the simulation. “It was much more than we thought.”

Lance Babcock wears a neck brace as he is taken to the ambulance. About 75 Holley students watched from bleachers in the parking lot.

Holley did the simulation this morning. The junior and senior prom is tonight at the Ridgemont Country Club in Rochester.

Students were urged to avoid drinking and driving to excess and to exercise caution during the upcoming graduation season, including any distracted driving, including texting and fatigue.

Firefighters from Holley and Clarendon remove the windshield from a vehicle to try to free two students from the vehicle.

Gallo’s Performance Auto Parts donated an Infinity and a Mazda to simulate the crash. The Village of Holley DPW brought a loader by this morning to crush the vehicles to make it look like there was an accident.

Holley Police Officers give Noah St. John a breathalyzer test to see if he can walk straight. Holley Police Officers Jacob Buzard (left) and AJ Fisher (right).

St. John said he considered it an honor to participate in the simulation, which demonstrates the serious consequences of drunk driving.

Lorenzo Zaragoza is taken on a stretcher to a Monroe ambulance for transport.

Before going outside to watch the simulation, Holley students watched a video in which some of the students pretended to be at a party and drinking alcohol. One student tried to stop them from getting into a car and driving off.

Then the video went black and there was a 911 call about a two-vehicle accident in Murray that resulted in serious injuries.

Murray Fire Chief Rick Cary urged students to show respect and look out for each other. Cary said car accidents involving teenagers are very difficult for the volunteer firefighters, who often have children of their own. He said the accidents are often preventable.

“Guys, it’s up to you,” Cary told the students.

Holley has been running the simulation almost every year around prom and graduation season for about 25 years, Cary said.

A court hearing was also held in the school’s auditorium, where St. John was charged with manslaughter and drunk driving. After the verdict, he will likely face a prison sentence.

Orleans County District Attorney Joe Cardone served as judge, Assistant District Attorney Susan Howard (left) was prosecutor, and Elizabeth Ogden, an assistant district attorney, served as public defender. Holley police Officer AJ Fisher is at right.