Mixing alcohol with drugs leads to crash

North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit
News Release

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On Friday, May 15th, Almaguin Highlands Secondary School will once again be the scene of a tragic car crash, killing two students and permanently disabling another. The crash will be the result of mixing alcohol with prescription drugs and energy drinks.

Coordinated by the RISK Project of Muskoka Parry Sound and the North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit, community partners assemble to plan a new “mock crash” scenario each spring. Local concerns and provincial trends are identified and built into the morning-long event which targets Grade 11 students.

To shake things up this year, the students will watch a video of their peers getting ready for their prom at a house party. While the guys are waiting for the girls to put on the finishing touches they share some alcohol and cannabis. The girls are priming with coolers, energy drinks and a few “perks”. The intention of the video is to help the audience understand what happened before the crash. As the video ends, an enormous crash sound will be heard, signaling the beginning of the “mock crash”.

Students will pour out of the Highlander Room to discover a vehicle wrapped around a telephone pole. The students will be exposed to the drama of watching classmates discover the crash, including student volunteers from area fire departments. The fire department will cut victims out of the vehicle; police will make arrests; and victims’ bodies will be carried away in body bags. Participating in the rescue and extrication are members of the Sundridge Fire Department, the District of Parry Sound Emergency Services, the O.P.P. and Opatovsky Funeral Homes.

Following the drama, students will learn more about the impact of the crash from the participants, while before and after photos of the victims flash on the screen. They will also hear from special guests about the specific dangers of mixing alcohol with other substances, the new lower B.A.C. legislation, and house party liability. Toronto lawyer Shelley Timms is the current president of O.C.C.I.D. (the Ontario Community Council on Impaired Driving) and is an expert in alcohol-related liability.

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