Mock crash shows Colorado high school students dangers of drunk driving ahead of prom

Content warning: While everything in the presentation was a simulation, some images may be disturbing.

A number of high schools across Colorado are holding their proms Saturday, but before students at Standley Lake High School got dressed to the nines, they were invited to hear an important message about drinking and driving.

The simulation showed how choosing to drink and drive can change someone's life forever. It showed what could happen in a fatal car crash, a full emergency response and an arrest of an impaired driver.

Shannon Dee and Addison Kegerreis are juniors at Standley Lake and were actors in the simulation. Addison said the presentation was very realistic.

"There was a 911 call that a dispatcher had filmed. It was me making the call, and I was saying 'We got into a car crash. I don't know what's happening. Everything's so quiet, like, everything's bloody,'" she explained.

Addison said it's important for students to know this can happen to anyone. "This can happen to not only you but anybody. It can happen to the popular kid, it can happen to the loser, it can happen to all these different kinds of people."

Westminster Fire Department, Police Department and Colorado State Patrol all took part in something those agencies said they see all too often.

Firefighter and paramedic Lee Giroux explained, "Every year around this time, there's graduation and prom and all that, so it's always in the back of your mind. And once you've worked in this line of work, you, unfortunately, experience these types of tragedies. I think every kid that was out here will remember this, and if it saves one kid from making a bad decision, we've done our job for sure."

Addison said she's looking forward to the dance. "This will definitely be a really good prom and a really safe prom for us."