By Don Steen ~ Staff Writer • [email protected]
Deputy Luke Hemmerlein led South Spencer students through an investigation into a mock crash last week, simulating a two-vehicle accident outside the school. Students were tasked with running through standard procedure for a responding officer at the scene of an accident, from initial assessment to more detailed documentation.
Two donated vehicles, already wrecked, were posed to simulate a particularly serious rear-end collision. For the purposes of the scenario, there were no injuries and one witness, with Hemmerlein filling in the details one might expect to glean from on-site interviews.
From there, students were introduced to the paperwork involved in policing. They were tasked with checking off various factors that could have contributed to the collision, and assessing exactly what happened for the official report.
Some intricacies involved sussing out what damage could be reasonably attributed to the crash, and what was likely pre-existing. While helpful for insurance, this also assists in determining whether existing damage might have made one or both vehicles less able to avoid the accident.
Other clues were hidden inside the cars themselves. For example, the discovery of medication or intoxicating substances inside one car might warrant further investigation.
The exercise was part of the high school’s Law Enforcement Fundamentals course, which helps prepare students for future educational programs and careers down the road.
Featured Image: Students observe the wreckage as Deputy Luke Hemmerlein watches over
Peering in: Students observe every detail of the wreck in order to get the most accurately detailed report
Students filed paperwork recording all of the details they each observed
A few students are seen here discussing with Deputy Hemmerlein about the wreckage
