Mock DUI crash staged to warn students, parents heading into prom season

FIFE, Wash. -- Police and Fife School District officials gave teens a crash course on the dangers of drinking and driving just days before juniors and seniors celebrate their prom night.

First aid crews rushed to the scene of a mock DUI crash to treat teens who were acting as if they were dead or seriously hurt in front of hundreds of their closest friends.

Samantha Lujan said, "I was crying personally because these are kids you go to school with and grow up with and this really does happen. I don’t think a lot of people understand the reality of it."

Juniors and seniors who are headed to prom in a few days saw how one drunken driver's actions could affect several lives.

Fife High School Principal Amanda Fox said, "Prom is Saturday night so the point is for our juniors and seniors to really get a sense of what’s at stake."

Police say they hope this exercise taught several students a valuable lesson.

Police Sgt. Paula Schwan said, "People are going to go out and party and they’re going to do what they do and be young people. The idea is that they make choices that are positive in every way for them."