Students get a sobering look
As Liberty High School students gathered around a staged car accident Thursday near the school, joking and talking subsided as Francesca Gardea and Daniel Hernandez screamed in agony over fallen classmates.
The intensity of the scene hit hard as students observed rescue workers trying to save their classmates’ lives.
Officials from Cal Fire, the Madera County Sheriff’s Department, California Highway Patrol, Smith Manor Grace Chapel and Pistoresi Ambulance helped create an accident scene that took the lives of two students and left one paralyzed. One was arrested for drunk driving.
“Right now, you can see that this is hitting hard just from the looks on the kids’ faces,” Liberty Principal Kuljeet Mann said. “It’s really important because we hear about the parties over the weekend. This is our effort educating students and parents. Saying something is one thing, but actually seeing is another.” ...