Restoration Counseling Services volunteer Brenda Thomas, a.k.a. the “Grim Reaper,” stands with black-shrouded victims in the “Every 15 Minutes” program on Monday morning at RCHS’s gymnasiumin in Evensville, Tenn. The program alerts junior and senior students to the dangers of texting, drinking and driving prior to this weekend’s prom.
Photo by Kimberly McMillianEVENSVILLE, Tenn. — Rhea County High School student Alec Smith said he’s had several friends who have “gotten lucky too many times” after driving irresponsibly.
A crowd of 650 juniors and seniors assembled outside the school Monday morning and watched Smith and Katie Etherton’s re-enact a fatal crash. Smith portrayed Etherton’s prom date, who survived, while Etherton’s character died.
Members of the Rhea County Sheriff’s Office, the county health council’s anti-drug coalition and other sponsors joined the assembly to promote awareness of the dangers of driving while texting or drinking.
The program, called “Every 15 Minutes,” refers to how often statistics show a person in the United States is killed in a car crash related to drinking or texting, officials said.
The program, the first in Rhea County, took place only days before this weekend’s high school prom.