At 9:00 on the morning of April 27, 2006 the parking lot of Saint Patrick High School was the site of a horrific two-car accident, caused by a drunken driver on his way home from prom. There were a total of eight victims involved in the crash, four high school students and an innocent family of four. One of the high school students and one of the children from the innocent family were dead when rescue workers get to them. The accident scene was chaotic. The Chicago Fire Department had two ambulances and a fire truck on the scene. The firemen had to cut two victims out of one of the cars. Two squad cars from the Chicago Police Department were on the scene. Police officers attempted to maintain order in the midst of the chaos, including keeping an enraged father from attacking the drunken teen that killed his child. The drunken teen was given a field sobriety test and had his blood alcohol content determined by a Breathalyzer. He was then read his rights, arrested, handcuffed, and taken into custody.

This powerful and emotional scene was staged as part of “Operation Prom”, a program presented by Saint Patrick in conjunction with Resurrection Medical Center, the Chicago Fire Department and the Chicago Police Department. The program is designed to expose Saint Patrick students to some of the consequences of drinking and driving; especially how many people are affected by this type of accident. Students witnessed the accident from the start, and stayed riveted until the final body is taken away in a body bag by a hearse.

Following the accident in the parking lot, students were escorted into the gymnasium for an assembly designed to bring home the horrific consequences of drinking and driving. Three speakers gave powerful emotional talks: Mary Bleicher, Dave Perozzi of the Alliance Against Intoxicated Motorists (AAIM), and Commander Ralph Price of the Chicago Police Department. Bleicher, who worked in the Cook County Morgue, and now works as a funeral director took the students step by step through what happens following a fatality in a drunken driving accident, focusing on the emotional toll that it takes on the family and friends of the victim. Commander Price commended Saint Patrick for putting together this program, and instructed the students to make wise choices on prom night. Finally, Dave Perozzi took the stage. Perozzi is a victim advocate for AAIM. Perozzi got involved with AAIM after his son Daren was killed by a drunken driver in July of 1998. Perozzi shared his story with the students of Saint Patrick, focusing on the message that there is no need for alcohol in their social life. Perozzi also drove home the points that that driving under the influence is a crime, not an accident, and the implications of drinking and driving are devastating and reach far beyond the immediate victims. Following the speeches, the students were shown a slide show featuring pictures of students having fun interspersed with pictures of cars and bodies destroyed in drunken driving accidents.