PASCACK VALLEY AREA—As graduation season approaches and students prepare to celebrate milestones with newfound independence, two regional school districts turned to a dramatic teaching tool to deliver a life-saving message: One poor decision behind the wheel can change everything.
This week, seniors at Pascack Valley High School and Westwood Regional High School witnessed realistic mock crash demonstrations designed to show the consequences of impaired and distracted driving.
At Pascack Valley High School on June 7 and 8, emergency responders staged Project Crash, a simulated prom-night collision involving student actors, firefighters, police officers, EMTs and trauma professionals. Students watched as rescuers extricated victims from wrecked vehicles, administered emergency medical care and coordinated an air-medical helicopter landing.
On June 10, seniors at Westwood Regional High School gathered outside the school for a similar demonstration involving responders from Westwood and Washington Township.
The scenario depicted a single-vehicle crash involving a driver believed to be impaired by drugs or alcohol. Firefighters cut into a damaged vehicle and ambulance crews treated and transported patients.
“It’s great for them to see,” Westwood Regional Superintendent Patrick McQueeney told Pascack Press at the scene. “Literally see what that decision could be before, God forbid, they actually have to experience it.”
McQueeney said programs like these make an impact because they transform an abstract warning into something tangible.
“Oftentimes you read about it. You see it on TV, but it’s TV,” he said. “This is tangible here. Seeing what would happen and what people would go through if there was an issue.”
He noted that members of his own generation were personally affected by drunk-driving tragedies.
“I lost friends and classmates to drunk driving in high school,” McQueeney said. “Fortunately, I think it’s reduced quite a bit through advocacy and education, but it still happens. One is too many.”
At Westwood Regional, one of the students helping bring that lesson to life was senior Carter Morin, a lieutenant with the Township of Washington Volunteer Ambulance Corps who portrayed the driver being arrested after the crash. Morin said he also helped coordinate the participation of emergency responders.
“We kind of had the idea to get this rolling,” he said. “I did a lot of coordination with the ambulance corps and the police department to get the ambulances here, get the people, and get this all set up.”
Asked what he hoped classmates would take away from the demonstration, Morin said the message was simple. “It kind of puts some perspective on what can happen,” he said. “The last thing I want is for one of my classmates to get hurt or die in a car accident.”
He added that the event also highlighted the support available throughout the community. “It shows the town that the ambulance corps and everybody’s here for you,” he said.
Following the demonstration, Westwood Regional seniors attended a presentation by Steven’s Story, which reinforced the importance of responsible choices involving driving, alcohol and substance use.
At Pascack Valley, organizers emphasized that Project Crash was intended to prepare them for real-life decisions.
“This program is not just about shock value,” organizers said. “It is about giving students a real look at what can happen in a matter of seconds — and empowering them to make life-saving decisions.”
Participating agencies overall included police, fire and emergency medical personnel from Hillsdale, River Vale, Westwood and Washington Township, along with the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, Hackensack University Medical Center’s Trauma Department and AirMed team.
Officials in both districts described the demonstrations as community-wide efforts to keep students safe as they prepare to leave high school and begin the next chapter of their lives.
Freeing “trapped” occupants — and gaining practice with the equipment — first responders are on the job at Westwood Regional High School on June 10, 2026. John Snyder photo.
