With prom approaching, Hazleton students see first-hand impact of impaired driving
KAYLEE LINDENMUTH / SHENANDOAH SENTINEL - Hazleton Area High School students watch as Hazle Township volunteer firefighters cut open a crashed Chevy hatchback during a mock crash demonstration on April 14, 2026 at the high school.
HAZLE TOWNSHIP – Just weeks before prom, some local high school students had as close to a first-hand look as possible at what could happen if they choose to get behind the wheel impaired.
First responders from the State Police at Hazleton, Hazle Township Fire Co., and Lehigh Valley EMS converged on the Hazleton Area High School off West 23rd Street on Tuesday.
The driver of the wrecked Chevy Sonic was taken into custody after a field sobriety test as Hazle Township firefighters worked to rescue a trapped passenger. The passenger was loaded by Lehigh Valley EMS paramedics into an awaiting ambulance.
This all taking place as hundreds of students lined the parking lot, watching it all unfold.
“I think it was very impactful on them,” Trooper Anthony Petroski said. “It was pretty quiet out there.”
After the rescue demonstration wrapped up, students moved inside to the high school auditorium where two state troopers notified a mother that the passenger had died.
The driver was then arraigned before a Magisterial District Judge, charged as an adult and taken away.
“This is the reality and this is what young adults this age typically don’t see,” Petroski said.
Trooper Petroski and the State Police teamed up with the Hazleton Area SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions) Club to put on the mock crash.
“One bad decision can affect the rest of their life,” Petroski said. “Getting behind the wheel of a car impaired, it not only affects them, it affects everybody in their car, everybody else out on the road. Our message was: make good decisions and it starts today.”
“Unfortunately, it’s a daily reality that we respond to,” Hazle Township Firefighter Kyle Kaschak said of calls like the one they demonstrated. “It hits close to home. We respond to calls where we live, so we see it, it’s people we know, people in the community, people we went to high school with. It’s unfortunate to see that one bad decision affects the lives of so many people, especially those that you know personally.
Paramedic David Onder with Lehigh Valley EMS emphasized the importance of the impact of the event and the “broad spectrum” of folks impacted in such a tragedy.
“It affects so many more people than just the one person who made the wrong decision,” Onder said.
Hazleton Area’s prom is just two weeks from this Saturday, set for May 2.
Full Photo Gallery
About Author
