Julie Strike stood in front of more than 1,000 Soddy-Daisy High School students on Wednesday morning and told them about the time she was run over by a drunken driver.
The students sat in bleachers next to the football field and behind Strike sat a mock car crash, complete with emergency vehicles and personnel who just moments before had been re-enacting the aftermath of a crash for the students. Actors covered in blood were extricated from the crashed cars and transported out on body boards.
The mock crash event was organized through a partnership involving the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Health Department and several other agencies in order to educate students about the potentially fatal consequences of distracted driving.
Strike said she was walking home when a man struck her with his car, severely injuring both of her legs. She was airlifted to a hospital and survived, but she lives in constant pain and was traumatized by the experience.
"I'll take that pain because I get to be here. I get to watch my kids grow up," she told the high school students. "You need to make the right choices, and you need to realize your choices affect other people."
Both school officials and members of law enforcement said hosting events like the mock crash are important to provide juveniles and young adults with a visual reminder in order to prevent them from taking risks while driving.
"I've been to wrecks and I know it's the No. 1 killer of teens," said Steve Henry, principal of Soddy-Daisy High School. "This is just to try to stimulate some thought about outcomes and decisions."
Students said the scene left a lasting impression on them.
"I think it helped in many ways. It helped me understand that it's not a joke," said Douglas Humble, a sophomore at Soddy-Daisy High School.
"I feel like most of it's going to stick. It gives you a mental image and you can look at it and realize actions have consequences. I didn't know it could be this bad."
Contact staff writer Emmett Gienapp at egienapp@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6731. Follow him on Twitter @emmettgienapp.