High schools hold mock crashes to prevent kids from drinking and impaired driving

LAKE CHARLES, LA (KPLC) - It was Oct. 26, 2011 when Kim Thibodeaux’s son Keagan passed away.

“He was about 10 min away from home, and it was a really bad accident," Thibodeaux said. " I think he was spooked by a deer and trying to avoid the deer he slammed on his brakes and the truck started spinning and flipping. The truck passed by and severed his body in two.”

Kim soon found out her son had been drinking.

“We got the toxicology report back, and it said that he had .08 percent; which is only the equivalent to two beers. But in the state of Louisiana, that’s considered legally drunk." Thibodeaux said. "He was texting, and when you take your eyes off the road for a second to text, it’s like the length of a football field.”

That’s why she thinks mock crashes like the ones performed today at Westlake High School and Hackberry High School are important for students to witness.

In 2018, Louisiana State Police responded to over 700 impaired or drunk driving accidents. Many of those involved minors.

That’s why the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission and University Medical center traveled to Lake Area high schools for the mock crash scenarios.

The students demonstrated the results of making the decision to drive drunk. This particular mock decision resulted in the death of one student and serious injuries of another.

“It’s very important that kids see that. Most kids think they’re invincible. No kid plans on dying," Thibodeaux said.

“I never in a million years thought this would happen to my family, but guess what? It did, and we have to live with the repercussions of that every day from a decision he made. It affects our whole life,” Thibodeaux said.

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