It is a scene that has played out many times now on the Escalon High School campus but, for this year’s participants, it was new and incredibly painful.

Students from both Escalon and Vista high schools took part in and watched the Every 15 Minutes program, which depicts the horror and repercussions of a drunk driving incident. This year, the scenario featured the drunk driver, portrayed by Nate Krieger, as trying to get his friend Talan Reider to the hospital after Reider overdosed on a combination of drugs and alcohol at a daytime party.

Against the advice of friends Matt Rangel and Ben Lora, Krieger got behind the wheel of his pick-up truck. But the never made it to the hospital; a crash involving pedestrians – fellow students Hannah Wampler and Aileen Aguirre – occurred along Escalon-Bellota Road, just outside the school grounds.

The crash scene unfolded in real time on Thursday, March 14. Escalon fire, police and Community Ambulance crews converged on the scene, followed shortly thereafter by the CHP and San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Department. A helicopter landed near the Community Center to take Reider via air ambulance to the hospital. Wampler was pronounced deceased on the scene, Aguirre was taken by ambulance to the hospital and also transported was Ryan Lewis. He was a passenger in Krieger’s truck and was pinned in the wreckage. Reider and Aguirre both died of their injuries at the hospital, Lewis was paralyzed.

And though it is a staged accident, the impact is real.

CHP Officer Ruben Jones provided the commentary for Thursday’s accident scene, indicating the ‘Golden Hour’ that is critical for life-saving efforts following a crash. The audience of juniors and seniors, along with multiple family members of those taking part in the program watched as Krieger was given a breathalyzer and field sobriety tests, then placed in handcuffs and taken away. Wampler’s body, which had been pinned partially under the truck, was removed and covered with a tarp. It served as a stark reminder of the high price of drinking and driving – or drugged driving – while the emergency personnel quickly and efficiently worked to get all those injured triaged, stabilized and on the way to hospitals.

Jones was there to explain what was happening and also interacted with the crowd, asking them about the students in the scene.

For Lora and Rangel, they were ‘walking wounded’ as they had no serious physical injuries. But both were angry with Krieger, who was alternately shocked and horrified at the scene playing out.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” he told Lora and Rangel.

“Tell that to Hannah! Tell that to Aileen!” Lora shouted back.

As the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Department coroner arrived on scene, he lifted the tarp and assessed the injuries to Wampler, indicating it was blunt force trauma that caused her death. Deegan Funeral Chapel personnel drove their hearse on to the scene and firefighters zipped Wampler into a body bag, which was then loaded up for removal. As the hearse quietly drove away, the Grim Reaper and The Living Dead fell in to line behind it, a silent, solemn reminder of the life lost.

Hosted over the course of a little more than an hour on Thursday, the students in the audience were then excused back to class. Participants in the Every 15 Minutes program, however, did not return to school that day.

As part of the overall experience, they were sequestered away from family and friends, taking part in a retreat, going through a trial for Krieger and not seeing their family members and classmates until the following day.

Parents of those involved also had a retreat on Thursday night.

On Friday, in the main gym on the EHS campus, the students from Vista and EHS once again came together, this time for Part 2 of the program.

Three caskets were carried in to the gym, symbolizing the lives of Wampler, Aguirre and Reider, lost in the crash. Junior Ryan Lewis was wheeled in by friend Ethan Garza, as the staged accident left Lewis paralyzed from the waist down.

A video depicting the moments before the crash, the accident scene itself and the aftermath was played. Included were death notifications to families, Wampler’s parents having to identify her body, and the trial and sentencing for Krieger, found guilty in the deaths of his friends.

Guest speakers also stepped up to the podium, including a Superior Court Judge, an attorney who has represented countless families in going after DUI drivers in civil lawsuits after the criminal verdicts come in, and a survivor of a DUI crash who lost his sight, part of a leg and who told the crowd he actually died three times, but was revived each time.

Letters were read by a couple of students and a couple of parents, written during the Thursday night retreat, sharing the raw emotion of a scenario that felt too real for many.

And to illustrate the point, 23-year-old Britaney Gomez shared a story about her best friend, taking the podium to talk about driving while high on marijuana. Gomez said her friend had done it many times and was good at it; driving after smoking marijuana wasn’t a problem. When her friend was still a teenager, said Gomez, that changed, as her friend disregarded traffic signals and drove through an intersection, T-boning a vehicle and killing two people in that car, along with injuring her own brother and his friend.

Gomez talked about the lingering pain and trauma of the incident and then revealed the truth. Stepping away from the podium, she unzipped her jacket and took off her jeans, revealing the orange jumpsuit of a prisoner. That ‘best friend’ she talked about was herself – Gomez is serving time at Chowchilla State Prison. While there, she has turned her life around, being involved in the firefighting program and Gomez said she works now to save lives but can never truly atone for those she took.

After she shared her story, she was placed in handcuffs and led away, with the audience sitting in silence.

Ultimately, Officer Jones said, it comes down to choices. Choices to drink and drive, choices to drive while high on drugs, choices to watch out for each other and, if there is a party, to make sure there is a designated driver or that students call for a ride home.

For many of the students taking part, it was an eye-opening experience and provided them with tools and knowledge, all indicating they want to make sure their friends and classmates stay safe.

Junior Lucas Estep, a member of The Living Dead, said it hit close to home; he lost a friend from Tracy to a DUI crash five years ago.

“She never really got justice for it so it’s something I always think about,” Estep admitted. “I’m glad I finally got the chance to get all my emotions out.”

DUI driver Nate Krieger was surprised by the realism and the feelings the program brought to the surface.

“It was really eye-opening … I hope everyone stays safe here,” he said, adding that students need to take the message to heart. “I think it was really helpful. It was helpful to me, I didn’t think I was going to get emotional but I just did, it just hit home. Be safe, don’t do anything dumb.”

Junior Ryan Lewis, who hopes to continue playing football in college, saw how quickly those dreams can evaporate, as he was ‘paralyzed’ in the staged crash.

“At first, I was a little hesitant to go through with this but I knew it would be a great thing to continue this movement that’s been going on for many years now,” he said. “Seeing how emotional it can get, seriously, seeing your dad read you your letter like you’re dead and you can’t say anything to him … it’s just a horrible thing. I’m just glad to be part of this program and people took it seriously, everyone here that was a part of it.”

Lauren Rodriguez was part of The Living Dead, watching the scene unfold on Thursday.

“It felt very impactful, very powerful … for us being chosen as one of the leaders at the school, I felt like I had a responsibility to show to the others the impact of being part of a DUI situation,” she said. “It was really surreal, I feel, it just goes to show that you don’t have any promise of life, the next day. Especially after the event was over, seeing your family crying, just to see how much people love and care for you is really powerful.”

Aileen Aguirre said watching the video was even harder than being in the staged scene, since she couldn’t interact with her mom, who had to come to the hospital to identify her body.

Talan Reider admitted it was a scary situation, especially hearing his parents cry over his ‘dead body’ in the hospital. It’s not something he would wish on anyone, he said, and he was happy to be a part of the program to help keep the Every 15 Minutes effort successful in the community.

Hannah Wampler found the experience surreal as well; she could only listen on Thursday, as she had to focus on staying still as the scene unfolded around her.

Her emotions spilled through on Friday, watching the video and being in the funeral assembly.

“Words can’t really describe how I feel,” she admitted. “It was an experience … a good one or a bad one, I’m not sure yet but I’m glad I was part of it.”

The program is partially funded through a grant and many of the responding agencies also donate time and resources, with many local businesses, individuals and service organizations contributing as well. However, there is also a link for community residents to help fund the program, which is offered every other year for students. Contributions can be made be going to https://escalonusd.myschoolcentral.com/Index.aspx#/4/product/10215