Schuylerville High School Driver Safety Day

Members of SHC participated in a student driver safety day at the Schuylerville H.S. on May 5th.  A mock crash was staged in the rear of the school.  Emergency personnel from the NY State Police, Gen. Schuyler Emergency Squad and Schuyler Hose responded to the "incident".  Rescuers found a two car crash with several students.  Patients were treated and extricated from their vehicles as students from 9th - 12th grade watched.  After the event emergency service's representatives answered students questions.

Photo's by FF Marcus Lapitsky

Acting out a tragedy, hoping to prevent it

By NEIL KIRBY, The Saratogian
Posted May 6, 2008

SCHUYLERVILLE — Lisa Savard still has the blood-stained hairs from her daughter’s head that were gathered from the smashed pickup where she was killed six years ago this June.

Savard, who lost her daughter Joelle in a reckless driving accident, spoke at Schuylerville Junior- Senior High School Monday afternoon following the mock crash involving staff, students, paramedics, police and firefighters.

The event was sponsored by the school’s Shared Decision-Making Team and Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) to prevent and raise awareness of irresponsible driving during prom season.

The mock crash involved student actors Heather Quirk, Andrew Talbot, Shawn Ruhle and Erica Larkin. The collision was a simulation of an accident that took place in Rochester, where a teenage girl drifted into oncoming traffic while text messaging on her cell phone, resulting in the death of five people.

Sgt. Dan Larkin said that mock crashes are usually staged around the theme of drunk driving, but he found distracted driving to be an important concern as well.

“You folks are getting better at this,” Larkin said, commending students for the reduced levels of drunk driving. Larkin said that while “we’ve made great progress” with drinking and driving, the number of people driving while distracted — or while using cell phones — has increased.

Following Larkin’s introductions, police arrived on the scene and called paramedics and the fire department, who pried open doors to remove the students posing as dead bodies.

“You don’t think it would happen to anyone you know,” student Jessica Gerber said as she watched her classmates being pulled from the wreckage. “It’s surprising.”

Talbot, who pretended to have caused the accident, said he felt his heart drop when he heard the sirens. “I felt like I was going to throw up the whole time,” Talbot said after the incident was over.

Students in grades nine through 12 then listened to Savard, who lost her daughter Joelle in an 80 mph collision that happened three weeks after Joelle’s prom.

“I know she wasn’t thinking, ‘In three more weeks, I’ll be dead,’” Savard said.

Joelle’s friend Christopher Bliss was drag racing in Corinth six years ago with Joelle in the passenger seat when Joelle was killed. Bliss had smoked marijuana before he got into his pickup truck, Savard said.

Savard showed pictures of the flattened pickup truck, which struck the trees past Comstrock Road.

“It was super-saturated with blood,” Savard said, referring to the roof of the cabin where her daughter hung upside down for 40 minutes before the fire department could pry her out.

Earlier that night, Savard’s son Jarrett saw his sister, Joelle, in Lake George. The siblings had been arguing and weren’t on speaking terms. Later that evening, Jarrett went home to tell his mother Joelle had been killed.

Upon hearing the news, Savard ran to Joelle’s bedroom to check if Joelle would somehow be there. She tripped in the hallway and sprained her ankle. Then the police chief came.

When she answered the door, Savard said, “It’s true, isn’t it?”

The police chief nodded, and told her to go Saratoga Hospital to identify the body.

A South Glens Falls probation officer later admitted to Savard that he had contacted Bliss in regards to his reckless driving three days before the crash, and threatened to revoke his license. The officer cried to Savard because he thought he hadn’t done enough to prevent the accident, Savard said.

Based on recklessness, the case was judged as a homicide. Bliss has been in prison since 2002. He may be released between December 2009 and May 2010.

“Every little decision can be monumental,” Savard said. “I don’t want any of you folks to feel what I’ve felt.”

Savard said that the key to avoiding drinking and driving was to plan ahead.

“Have a plan before you go out, be prepared and have a back-up,” Savard said. “If you make a habit out of it, you don’t have to worry about it.”

Principal Matt Sickles agreed.

“I want them to imagine the worst case scenario,” Sickles said. “Are they prepared, and is it worth it?