Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Three "killed" in mock accident

A two vehicle accident, three dead bodies, a child left with no parents, several teenagers severely injured and one who will not attend college in the fall, but will be wearing an orange suit and thinking everyday for the rest of his, "It was just a few drinks and we were having fun. What happened to my life?"

This was the scenario of the recent Prom Promise project at the Gurdon High School. The name of the project was "Shattered Dreams".

Two wrecked cars were towed onto the Gurdon High School parking lot last week. On Thursday morning at 9 o'clock all high school students were taken out in the parking lot to view a mock drunk driving accident.

As students arrived on the scene they saw students, Tonette Jonhson, Hayli Coon and Norris Glenn lying on the ground lifeless, covered in blood and bruised. A car seat lay on the ground with a baby (doll) in it.

One car was on top of the other one and in the drivers seat of the top car was a drunken Chris Kilts. In the back of Kilts's car were students Maegan James and Christina Taylor. Blood was painted on each student as well as bruises and other visible damages.

A car came speeding across the parking lot carrying Josh Frisby and Lyndi Escalante, who acted as if they had just driven up on their injured friends. They immediately called 9-1-1 and started CPR on Tonette Johnson who was pronounced dead on the scene when emergency personnel arrived. Also pronounced dead were Norris Glenn and Hayli Coon.

Kilts tried getting out of his car to help, but was to drunk. When members of the Baptist Medical Center Ambulance team arrived they tried to calm Kilts, who was apprehended by Gurdon Police Officer Gary Marshall.

Ricky Clark, Mitch Nolan, Jeremy Bright and Marcus Lewis all Emergency Medical Technicians worked to save Kilts's surviving friends.

Tom Tobin, Clark County Coroner, was on hand to name and cover the three dead.

Gurdon Fire Chief, Jake McBride, and fire department members, Jimmy Martin and Mike Minton were on the scene to use the Jaws of Life to extract Maegan James and Christina Taylor from Kilts's car.

It was a realistic act with flashing lights and sirens.

Tobin spoke to the students after the police had hauled in Kilts and Taylor and James were on their way to the hospital in the ambulance.

Tobin told students the reality of the events they had just seen. "The hardest thing is when I have to cover up someone I know and then I have to tell their parents that I need them to identify the body. If the body is identifiable. It is always hard to tell parents of their children's death, whether I know them or not. Don't drink and drive, I don't want to meet you that way."

Friday a memorial service was held in the high school gymnasium where a casket labeled "Shattered Dreams" was lain out in front of the students. The memorial service was for student Tonette Johnson.

Johnson's mother, Verdia Ritchie read an emotional letter to her deceased daughter. She told of Johnson's accomplishments during her short 18 years on this earth and spoke of what she had planned and dreamed of doing before her death.

Johnson read a letter to her parents apologizing for her actions and thanking them for their guidance.

Several students spoke of what Johnson meant to them and the impact felt by Johnson's sudden death.

Clark County Sheriff, Troy Tucker, spoke about the consequences of drinking and driving. He told them of several teenage drunk driving wrecks he had worked and how tragic they were.

He also spoke of the emotional damage caused by losing a child and how he felt the worst part of his job was informing parents of a child's unexpected death.

Tucker had asked Jason Croft to speak to the Gurdon students to show them first hand the effects of drinking and driving.

Croft told students he had drank a few beers and was headed home one night when he failed to negociate a curve and flipped his car.

When the sheriff's department arrived on the scene they thought Croft was dead. Ambulance workers arrived and found a little life left in Croft.

"I should have been dead. However, I wasn't. I don't remember the next few days after the wreck. I went through lots of pain. My neck was broke and I had to wear a halo which screwed into my skull. It was very painful. I had to go through many hours of rehabilitation. I was lucky and I am glad no one else was involved in the accident with me. I couldn't stand the thought of being responsible for someone else's death," said Croft.

School nurse, Carlita Escalante said, "Many people think that a school nurse's job is to take temperatures and hand out band aids. That's just not true, especially in today's society."

Along with state mandated records and screening, education of students information on drugs, alcohol, preventable diseases and how to take care of their bodies, I have enabled them to make wise decisions instead of bad one's that can change their lives forever as we have demonstrated with project "Shattered Dreams".

Other school faculty assisting with the project was, Lois Jackson, Amy Gibson, Debbie White and Melissa Franklin.