Thousands of teenagers die in car crashes across the country each year due to distracted driving and driving under the influence.
Sunrise Hospital is helping teens realize how bad the consequences can be.
On Wednesday, dozens of Las Vegas High School students watched a demo extrication as Clark County fire crews pulled the roof and door off a truck with the jaws of life.
The students also were able to put on drunk goggles and hear from trauma experts about the dangers of drinking and driving and texting while driving.
Sunrise Hospital Trauma Medical Director Chris Fisher said the hospital treated more than 5,000 trauma patients over the last year.
According to 2020 data, 2,800 teens were killed in car crashes on U.S. roads.
Fisher said trauma, as in a major physical injury, is the number one cause of death among teens.
Here in Las Vegas, car crashes are the second leading cause of all traumatic injuries.
Hospital officials want to make younger drivers aware of just how bad a crash can be if they make bad decisions.
“Unfortunately, one mistake can affect the rest of your life. So, hopefully, we can impress upon them that today and maybe have it in the back of their head the next time they’re out with friends or unsupervised,” Fisher said.
Here’s another surprising detail — when crews respond to a car crash where someone suffers a traumatic injury, a trauma activation occurs at Sunrise Hospital.