Acting out the part of a teen-age driver who has been drinking alcohol and causes a car crash had an impact on Schuyler Brooks, senior at Pea Ridge High School.
"I never want to drive a car again. Even though I don't drink and drive, it makes you want to be more careful," Brooks said.
Schuyler, 17, and her brother, Garrett, 15, are the children of Amanda and Chris France and Shane and Wendy Brooks. Together, they portrayed the driver and passenger of a vehicle involved in a fatal DWI crash. Schuyler was the driver who was ultimately charged with DWI and vehicular manslaughter.
The Brooks and Lorrie Klein were painted with red as though bleeding by fellow student Faith Wilson.
"It's kind of morbid," Schuler said. "But, it's something you really shouldn't be doing. I hope kids understand the consequences of drinking and driving."
"Right now ... the adrenaline ... I had to act like my brother was dead. That was hard for me to act out," Schuyler said, admitting she doesn't know how she would act if the scene had been real. She said it was her first attempt at acting and credited Police Sgt. John Langham with encouraging her through the recording of the 911 tape and the acting at the scene.
Garrett said it was fun to portray the dead boy.
Schuyler admitted she knows of peers who drink, but said none of her friends do. She said she does not have a personal link to a DWI caused car accident.
Community on 04/20/2016