Ten years ago, a drunk driver killed Jim Hall's son, daughter-in-law and five-week-old granddaughter.
Red Cross Director of Emergency Services Julie Hankins responded to the call the night of that accident.
Firefighters, Red Cross workers and Emergency Medical Service workers who were on the scene still remember the horrendous accident, she said.
Hall told the story of his family Wednesday night as hundreds of students, children and community members participated in "Real Life," a re-enactment of a fatal drunk driving accident, the court scene afterwards and the funeral.
The accident that killed Hall's family inspired the idea for "Real Life," which was hosted by Muncie Central High School and will be presented again tonight from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Everyone is welcome to come to the event for free. It is sponsored by numerous community organizations, including the American Red Cross, Delaware County EMS, Muncie Police Department, Muncie Fire Department and MADD.
The organizers try to make the re-enactment as real as possible. Real police officers, firefighters and EMS workers respond to the scene where a car and truck sit mangled together on a grassy area behind the school.
"Real Life" has been put on for the last seven years at Delta High School, but was moved to Muncie Central this year, Hall said.
"Last year was the first time I felt I could go through the program and actually see it," Hall said. "Living it is bad enough."
He said he didn't realize that drunken driving had been such a serious problem until he was personally involved.
"It's one of those things that you don't think will ever happen to you," Hall said.
The goal is to make people understand that drunken driving can affect anyone, Mike Cooper, Muncie firefighter and coordinator for "Real Life," said.
"If we help one person, if we get through to one person, then all this work is worth it," he said.
Ball State junior Erica Miller said she knows a lot of people who drive after drinking and don't even think about it.
"You don't have to be really drunk, you could have just had a couple of beers," she said. "Our roommates' best friend got killed by a drunk driver."
The program really makes you think twice about drinking and driving and could definitely change people's minds, she said.
The reality of the re-enactment shows kids what the consequences of their actions could be, Hankins said.
"I think Ball State needs this message really badly because they've got that reputation as a party school," she said.
Many students said the funeral scene was the most emotional part for them because of the use of real caskets and even a baby casket for the infant who died in the re-enactment.
Last year, Cooper said his son played the role of a student who died in the crash scene.
"Seeing his eight-by-10 picture up on a casket was very hard," Cooper said.
This year, names for the characters in the scenes were made-up, but in past years, the names of the actors were used in the re-enactment, said Delta senior Apryll Swingley, who also played the role of a victim in last year's crash. Swingley said she and Cooper's son held hands during the funeral last year because it was awkward as they heard their names being recited in the eulogy.
"A lot of people walk out of here crying," she said. "It's all very sad."
Cooper said it gets so emotional that the Red Cross has psychologists at the site to talk to people who need assistance.
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