A fictional death

BURBANK — The magnitude of it all — a gruesome, two-car crash outside John Burroughs High School that killed two standout students and a beloved high school teacher — had yet to sink in for John and Beth Benne, whose daughter was among the dead.

The collision occurred about 10 a.m. Monday when motorist Michael Thompson plunged his Honda Accord into a pedestrian and broadsided a Ford Explorer, turning the SUV on its side and trapping two people inside.

Thompson was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol and charged with two counts of vehicular manslaughter. The driver of the Ford Explorer, all-league football standout Edwin Lopez, was transported to Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center where he later died.

Teacher Brent Schackmann, who was crossing the street, and Allyson Benne, who was riding with Thompson, were pronounced dead at the scene, Burbank Police Officer Tim Dyrness said.

“The emotions are terrible,” said John Benne, Allyson’s father. “I saw her this morning, happy, and all of a sudden she’s laying in a pool of blood. I am in shock. The sorrow I am feeling is uncontrollable.”

“She wasn’t supposed to die,” said mother Beth Benne. “She promised me she wouldn’t be among the dead.”

While some of the emotions were real — particularly the moment firefighters used the Jaws of Life to extricate supposedly lifeless bodies from the wreckage — the event, in fact, was all theater.

The mock fatal crash at the intersection of West Clark Avenue and North Lamer Street was part of the “Every 15 Minutes” program, intended to educate high school students about the dangers of drunk driving. The program, which alternates between Burroughs and Burbank high schools, gets its name from the fact that every 15 minutes on average one person is killed in an alcohol-related car accident.

Some 13,000 people were killed in drunk driving crashes in 2007, representing a 3.7% decline in drunk driving fatalities from the previous year, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.