Mock crash delivers powerful prom and graduation safety message to Hendersonville High School students
Ahead of area proms and graduations, Hendersonville High School students witnessed a powerful and emotional mock crash simulation designed to highlight the devastating consequences of impaired and distracted driving.
The event brought together trauma and emergency professionals from TriStar Skyline Medical Center, TriStar Hendersonville Medical Center, Hendersonville Police Department, Sumner County EMS, Sumner County Fire Department, and TriStar SkyLife. The realistic scenario featured student actors in a staged DUI crash, emergency response teams, an air medical helicopter landing, and the arrest of a student driver.
“As trauma professionals, we treat young lives cut short or forever changed by preventable crashes,” said Dr. Darrell Hunt, trauma surgeon and trauma medical director at TriStar Skyline. “This simulation is meant to make an impact—it’s a wake-up call that the decisions made in a split second can have lifelong consequences.”
Students also heard from Tanya Read, a mother who lost her son to a drunk driver. Her emotional testimony detailed the long-term grief and trauma families endure, offering a firsthand reminder of the ripple effects of one tragic choice.
Rod Dawson, Director of TriStar SkyLife, shared his experience responding to a real-life prom night crash where a student died. “That memory doesn’t leave you,” he told the crowd. “It’s why we do this — to prevent it from happening again.”
TriStar Skyline Medical Center, a Level I Trauma Center, is proud to partner with schools, local law enforcement, and EMS agencies to invest in life-saving education for youth and families. Through powerful community events like this, our trauma and injury prevention teams are helping change behaviors, build awareness, and protect the next generation.
This community collaboration reflects a shared commitment to educating and protecting young lives. The message was clear: one decision can change everything.