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Mock DWI Presentation

Two damaged cars sit in a parking lot with a crowd of onlookers in the background.

On May 27, the New York Mills Union Free School District hosted a mock DWI presentation, which is a highly coordinated, realistic simulation of a fatal drunk driving accident staged to show students the immediate consequences of driving under the influence. Held to coincide with high-risk seasonal events like prom and graduation, the presentation replaces traditional lectures with a live, experiential demonstration. The event allows students to view a pre-staged accident scene utilizing damaged cars from local salvage yards and student actors marked with theatrical trauma injuries. Local police, fire and emergency medical services respond to the scene with full sirens and lights, treating the simulation like a live 911 call. Firefighters use heavy rescue tools to cut open the vehicles, paramedics triage and extract the injured and police conduct field sobriety tests to arrest the mock driver.

The District extends a sincere thank-you to all the students and staff who participated in it, as well as a special thank-you to the New York Mills Police Department, New York Mills Fire Department, Edwards Ambulance and Mercy Flight, who supported this powerful event. Ultimately, the objective of the mock DWI presentation is to disrupt the teenage mindset of invincibility, using recognizable peers and raw logistical reality to force a sober confrontation with the stakes of drunk driving before students ever get behind the wheel. As the school year wraps up, everyone is reminded to make smart decisions, look out for one another and be safe.

  • New York Mills Jr./Sr. High News
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Two cars are crashed together in a parking lot foreground, with a crowd of onlookers gathered behind a yellow caution tape in the background.
A crowd of young people stands in line behind yellow caution tape, with trees and a grassy field in the background.
A man in a blue suit speaks at a podium in the foreground, with a blurred green background of trees and a fence.
A young woman in a hoodie shields her eyes from the sun in the foreground, while a line of other people stands behind her in the blurred background.
A dark sedan with its driver's side door open sits in a parking lot with a police truck behind it, while a yellow school bus and other vehicles are visible in the background.
A group of young people stand behind yellow caution tape in a grassy field, with cars visible in the blurred background.
Two damaged cars sit in a parking lot with a crowd of onlookers in the background.
Two police officers stand in the foreground, speaking to a young woman, while a crowd of teenagers watches in the background behind yellow caution tape.
Firefighters use a hydraulic rescue tool to cut into a damaged car in the foreground, while a crowd of onlookers watches in the background.
Firefighters in neon vests transport a patient on a stretcher from a damaged car towards a fire truck, while a crowd of onlookers watches in the background.
A police officer stands in the foreground, facing away from the camera, while two injured individuals are visible in the background near a fire truck.
In the foreground, emergency responders attend to individuals near a pickup truck and a fire engine, while a helicopter flies in the clear blue sky in the background.
A red and white medical helicopter with the registration N651MC is parked on a grassy field behind a chain-link fence, with blurred figures in the foreground and lush green trees in the background.
A crowd of people stands on a grassy field watching a helicopter fly overhead against a bright blue sky with scattered clouds.
A police officer in a bright vest speaks to a distressed young woman in ripped jeans next to an open car door, while a crowd of onlookers stands behind yellow caution tape in the background.
In the foreground, a man in a black shirt crouches to adjust a banner, while in the background, people stand around tables outdoors.
A group of people, including some in uniform, stand on a grassy field in front of a red and black helicopter, with trees and a blue sky in the background.
A large banner with %22NYM CLASS OF 2026 PROMISES TO DO LESS DRINKING, MORE THINKING%22 written on it is spread across a table in the foreground, with a wooden podium and bottles of water in the background.