Published in the May 4, 2016 edition

SOPHOMORE Colin Lamusta lies dead on the hood of a car during the mock car crash staged in the Lynnfield High School April 27. The mock crash dramatized the dangers of drinking and driving with prom and graduation season just around the corner. (Dan Tomasello Photo)

SOPHOMORE Colin Lamusta lies dead on the hood of a car during the mock car crash staged in the Lynnfield High School April 27. The mock crash dramatized the dangers of drinking and driving with prom and graduation season just around the corner. (Dan Tomasello Photo)

By DAN TOMASELLO

LYNNFIELD — Prom and graduation season is the most exciting time of year for high school students.

While students are gearing up to celebrate the annual rites of passage, school officials, public safety officials and parents are concerned adolescents might make a dangerous mistake by driving drunk.

Lynnfield High School juniors and seniors saw first hand the dangers of drinking and driving on April 27, when they watched a mock car crash staged in the LHS parking lot. The mock crash, which featured members of the high school drama group Theatre East as well as first responders, dramatized the consequences of driving under the influence.

First responders arrived at the scene after two sedans collided with one another on prom night. The driver responsible for the accident, Maddie Yazel, stumbled out of one of the cars covered in blood. Yazel screamed in horror after discovering her friend, Colin Lamusta, was killed after being thrown through the windshield.

Yazel found another friend, Ally Peters, lying on the ground and screaming in pain after being ejected from the vehicle. High school students Maddie Milne, Serena Arora, Andrew Bunar and Liam Connelly were trapped in a Mercury sedan and were seriously injured in the crash. Firefighters used the Jaws of Life to remove the top of the car in order to rescue the teenagers.

Juniors and seniors also witnessed their injured classmates be taken away in an ambulance. Students also watched in horror as Fire Captain John Walsh covered Lamusta’s body with a white sheet.

Yazel participated in a field sobriety test along with patrolman Jonathan Duzz and patrolman Scott Fitzemeyer. She admitted to drinking alcohol at a party before the crash. She was arrested and charged with motor vehicle homicide and operating a motor vehicle under the influence.

Afterward, students filed back into the LHS auditorium and watched a video of Yazel being booked in the police station. School Resource Officer Patrick Curran read Yazel her Miranda Rights as well. Yazel was sobbing throughout the whole ordeal.

A teachable moment

After students witnessed the mock crash and booking video, Curran addressed the students. He said the purpose of the mock crash was to teach students about the dangers of drinking and driving.

“People ask why we do this type of thing,” said Curran. “It’s not about locking people up and hoping to catch people doing things that are illegal. It’s about prevention. We don’t want to do this presentation after someone gets seriously hurt or killed. We want to prevent this situation from happening.”

Curran gave several examples of real life situations where drinking and driving had an impact on students, including 20-year-old Joseph Castano, who allegedly killed his 19-year-old friend Craig Sampson in a drunk driving accident in front of Endicott College in Beverly recently.

“There is one thing worse than dying in a car crash like this,” said Curran. “And that’s being the driver that killed your best friend.”

Curran said he decided to become the Police Department’s school resource officer because he enjoys working with adolescents. He said he runs a youth hockey team and recalled how five members of the team died as the result of substance abuse.

The school resource officer encouraged students to make smart decisions and to stay away from alcohol and other illegal drugs.

“We have to understand there are real world consequences for our decisions,” said Curran. “We are a small town and we have been very lucky these types of things don’t happen here too often. And that makes us think we are invincible, but these things can happen. My job is preventing this type of scenario from happening in the first place.”

Fire Lieutenant Richard Ripley said the purpose of the mock car crash was not just giving students an opportunity to get out of class.

“I grew up in this town, I went to this school and I sat in these seats,” said Ripley. “Most of our guys are raising their families in this town and we think of you guys as family. These are some of the toughest calls we go on. These decisions don’t just impact you. It impacts your peers and it impacts your community. We want to you to think about that. One poor decision can change everything about your life in a second.”

Ripley encouraged students to enjoy “the best time” of their lives but to also make wise choices.

“All of you are going to prom and some of you are graduating and moving on,” said Ripley. “Don’t let a poor decision change the course of your life. You can have a great time and still make great decisions. This the best time of your life and we want you to enjoy it.”

High School Principal Bob Cleary thanked the police and fire departments for supporting the LHS mock crash. He thanked Curran, Ripley, High School Assistant Principal Kevin Cyr and Theatre East director Jonathan Qualters for coordinating the event. He thanked Explorer Post 511 members Andrew and Anthony Adario, David Feinberg, Anthony Metrano, Nick Miller and Parker Rhode for their work throughout the demonstration.

Cleary also thanked the seven Theatre East actors and make up artists Nnenne Nwangwu, Mallory Rocca, Annika Hann, Sydney Nekoroski, Katie Nevils, Ana Hardiman and Sharon Singh for their hard work.

Additionally, Cleary thanked high school student Johnny Tran and his father for donating the two cars used in the mock crash. He also thanked High School Band Director Tom Westmoreland and Lynnfield Media Studios Executive Director Eric Hamlin for coordinating the event’s video and sound.

Cleary urged high school students to be safe this prom and graduation season.

“The positive part of today’s demonstration is that everyone is OK and no one was actually harmed, but the reality of these situations is that there is always some type of tragedy that comes from bad decisions,” said Cleary.

“This is a great time of your lives and is a great time of year. This is the time of year that should be about celebrations and fun and we don’t want to take this time of celebration and turn it into a time of sorrow and tragedy. We want you to know that we put these programs together because we care about you and we want you to enjoy the opportunities that you have. We implore you to make good decisions.”

After Cleary concluded his remarks, high school students gave all of the mock crash’s participants a round of applause.