Over the next two weeks, a terrible tragedy will be graphically depicted on the campuses of every Carbon County high school.

The first occurred on Monday in the parking lot of Panther Valley High School. There was a simulated motor vehicle crash with “bloody fatalities.” The police are involved and an on-scene drunken driving sobriety test occurs. It’s a dramatic event.

The simulated wreck is to emphatically elucidate the perils of drinking and driving — as well as texting and driving.

Panther Valley’s program was made possible through a $1,500 grant from State Farm Insurance, obtained through the efforts of teachers Jen Jones and Jen Maynard. Jones and Maynard coordinated the event.

Besides the horrific crash in which three “deceased” students lay on the hard asphalt, clearly “victims” of the wreck, there was also a second phase of the program which involved a computer program depicting the effects of drunken driving, as well as the availability of “fatal vision goggles” which mimic the feeling one experiences while driving while intoxicated.

Jones said the with the goggles, “students will be able to see real-life consequences of drinking and driving.” They were brought by William McQuilken of the New Tripoli Fire Company on behalf of the Lehigh Valley Health Network.

The participants in the simulation were members of the Panther Valley High School National Honor Society. The program was for juniors and seniors. Maynard said each class member received a soft-plastic bracelet that read: “Band 2gether against distracted driving.”

The crash depicted a T-bone crash involving an SUV and passenger car. Natalie Vermillion, president of the Honor Society, enacted the role of the drunken driver which caused the crash.

“Killed” and laying on the macadam were students Marlena Smith, Hannah Shreffler and Cameron Cooper. Other injured students were Zack Seifert, Jase Horvath and Alisa Williams.

The “parents” of the driver, Abby Beneck and Logan Fisher, were summoned to the scene. Students watched as the deceased were covered by ambulance personnel while members of the Diligence Fire Company used special tools to free the “trapped victims” still inside the vehicle.

Myla Krapf, treasurer of the National Honor Society, and member Gavin Yuricheck recorded the event and will post it on a school site. Kraft said, “It was educational,” while Yuricheck labeled it “very realistic.”

After undergoing the on-scene DUI test, Vermillion said, “I think it was very impactful because we’ve just seen it instead of merely hearing about it.”

High School Principal Patricia Ebbert said students who took part in the event arrived at the school extra early to prepare for it, indicating it was taken very seriously.

Also watching the simulation was State Farm Insurance Agent Marybeth Leitzel of Hometown.

“It’s very realistic and unfortunately very true,” she said of the depiction. “I’m taking claims every day of accidents and I do have DUI claims. Do not drive while drinking and put the cellphones down.”

Shreffler said, “it really put into perspective” the dangers of distracted and drunken driving.

Dawn Benner, a paramedic with Lehighton Ambulance, coordinated the emergency responders who participated. They are Lehighton Ambulance, Tamaqua Ambulance, Diligence Fire Company of Summit Hill, Carbon County Sheriff’s Office, Carbon County Juvenile Probation, Pennsylvania State Police and Highway Safety Network District 5.

Benner said the program will be held at other schools in the county as follows:

• Today: Weatherly Area High School.

• Wednesday: Palmerton Area High School.

• Thursday: Lehighton Area High School.

• May 6: Carbon Career and Technical Institute.

• May 8: Jim Thorpe High School.

Proms at Panther Valley, Weatherly, Palmerton and Lehighton will be held this coming weekend. The remaining two schools will have proms next weekend.