| id | cleanReleaseDate | troopName | title |
| 1996 | 2011-02-23 | Troop B | Holy Cross High School Students Participate in Mock Trial |
| LOUISIANA STATE POLICE COURTESY LOYALTY SERVICE Colonel Michael D. Edmonson, Superintendent TROOP B- NEWS RELEASE For Immediate Release Date: February 23, 2011 Holy Cross High School Students Participate in Mock Trial Troop B – On Friday, February 25, 2011, students from Holy Cross High School will participate in a Mock Trial that is a result from a Mock Crash that took place on September 15, 2010. The Mock Trial will be held in the Holy Cross gym, located at 5500 Paris Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70122 and it will begin promptly at 9:30 AM. The Mock Trial is an extension of our Sudden Impact Program that is a partnership presentation by Louisiana State Police and the LSU Interim Public Hospital Level 1 Trauma Center. In September 2010, juniors and seniors from Holy Cross High School participated in a Mock Crash that resulted in a death, a serious injury and the arrest of an impaired driver. In an effort to reinforce this powerful education, the Mock Trial will utilize the same students from the Mock Crash and the impaired driver will face a jury of his peers on charges of Vehicular Homicide, 1st Degree Vehicular Negligent Injuring, Driving While Intoxicated and Reckless Operation of a Motor Vehicle. The Honorable Judge Becky Olivier from Jefferson Parish will preside over the trial and David Crigler with the Jefferson Parish District Attorney’s Office will be the prosecutor. David Bravo, a local defense attorney and Holy Cross graduate, will defend the student accused of the listed charges. Numerous individuals will take the witness stand and attest to the life altering consequences they have had to face due to the poor decisions made on the night of the fatal crash. Troopers, parents and school officials will be called upon to recount the night’s events. Our goal of this program is to increase the students’ knowledge that driving impaired has lifelong consequences for all individuals involved, including their school, family and community. “This education is essential and is one of the most effective tools we use to decrease fatal and injury crashes,” stated Captain Carl Saizan, Commander of Troop B. “By educating our youth, we are providing them with the correct information to make the best and safest decisions possible. The Sudden Impact Program is proving that young adults are making the right decisions by wearing their seatbelts every time they get into a car, not driving while impaired and not getting into the vehicle with an impaired driver.” The Sudden Impact Program is an eight-hour interactive presentation for high school sophomores dedicated to the prevention of injuries and fatalities related to driving under the influence and seatbelt usage. The Sudden Impact Program targets high school sophomores that are in the process of obtaining their drivers license. During the program, the teens are pre-tested and later post tested on the knowledge gained during the course. This course has three main components: A.) A trauma victim TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury) speaks to the students about the changes in his life following a vehicle crash in which he was injured while driving impaired and unrestrained. B.) Louisiana State Police presents an interactive lecture to the students about Louisiana laws pertaining to underage DWI, seatbelt use and driver safety issues. There is also a fatal vision demonstration, which the students participate in. Students interact with the lecture by using hand-held computers to answer questions. The answers are captured in a database and later studied by physicians. C.) The LSU Trauma Center personnel speak to the students about the physical effects that alcohol and drugs have on the human body that directly affects driving. A color pictorial is presented showing the relationship between trauma injuries and the non-use of the seatbelts and driving under the influence. The students then tour the Trauma ICU and the ER, where they witness first-hand the life altering affects of impaired and unrestrained driving. This presentation has received national recognition and a national award from the National Governor’s Highway Safety Representatives. **All media outlets are invited to attend this event** Contact Information: Trooper Melissa Matey Public Affairs Unit Louisiana State Police – Troop B Office: (504) 471-2780 melissa.matey@dps.la.gov www.LSP.org | |||
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