DASSEL-COKATO, MN - When the blue tarps lifted, Dassel-Cokato High School students were able to see the brutal effects drinking and driving can have when a good time turns deadly. Actor Jon Thorson laid lifeless on the car driven by actor James Frickstad. According to the story told by Tim Benoit, Frickstad had too much vodka at an after-prom party and drove himself and three friends actors Tynelle Marschall, Taylor Mankenberg, and Thorson. Frickstad then struck a vehicle carrying actors Bryant Beckermann, Anna Fitzer, and Sabrina Lawrence. Beckermann was declared dead by the Wright County Deputy Coroner.
Unfortunately, the scene where the first responders arrived was delayed because of an actual, real-life accident that occurred west of the high school at the same time. This was just another reminder for students that accidents happen anytime, anywhere though there were only minor injuries and the accident was cleared.
When the mock crash resumed, first responders from both Dassel and Cokato worked together to extricate both Marschall and Beckermann from the battered vehicles. Thorson was flown from the scene on Life Link.
The event was sponsored by the Cokato Dassel Rotary and partnered with numerous other organizations including Safe Communities of Wright County and Meeker County Public Health.
Kelly Babekuhl, Rotarian and chair of the event, says she hopes this event was not only a reminder to never drink and drive, but also for them to have an appreciation for the first-responders that must act swiftly when the choices people make aren’t the right ones.
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