Above: Students taking part in a mock car crash at Algonquin (photo by John Mauro Jr.)
A tragedy played out in the parking lot of Algonquin last Friday. It wasn’t a real tragedy, but it was one organizers hope sent a real — and powerful — message to students.
Sitting on a grassy slope on a sunny Friday morning, the Algonquin junior class witnessed the aftermath of a mock car crash in which a mother died, several students were injured, and one was arrested for drunk driving.
The mock accident is an annual event at the school put on by the Algonquin chapter of Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) in conjunction with the Northborough and Southborough police and fire departments.
Southborough Fire Chief John Mauro Jr. took part in the event again this year. As one of the first responders on the scene when Southborough sisters Shauna and Meghan Murphy lost their lives in a horrific car crash back in 2005, Mauro has seen first-hand what can happen when teens make the wrong decision.
“We do this for a reason and the reason is Algonquin has a bad history of losing kids,” Mauro told students after the demonstration. “We just want to make sure that everybody has the ability to make wise choices and decisions, whether you’re driving a vehicle or getting in as a passenger.”
You can read more about the mock car crash in TheDailyNorthborough.com. Fire Chief Mauro also sent along some photos. I’ve included a selection below, but you can see more on Flickr.
