Pocahontas ranks 3rd in teen driving accidents

POCAHONTAS, Iowa — A statewide ranking on teen driving put the community of Pocahontas third on the list of teen-caused traffic accidents. The Iowa State Patrol and other law enforcement officers came for a high school assembly Tuesday on the topic of making good choices while driving.

To make the point of good choices more real, a chunk of mangled steel which somewhat resembles the flashy Camero it used to be, was brought to the assembly. The car was involved in an accident where three teenagers lost their lives when the car went airborne and crashed at 100 miles an hour.

“When you look in here, Billy Rogers, was the driver, we didn’t move the seat,” said Iowa State Trooper Eric Payne, who was the investigating officer at the triple fatal crash in Dubuque County. “The only thing we did is put the roof back on so it actually looks more like a car here. Billy in here, Kennedy’s upfront, and Chloe was un-restrained in the back.”

Payne said he worked with the victims’ families to get the okay to use the car to encourage students to make wise choices.

“With teenagers sometimes that action and consequence mental part of the brain isn’t quite there,” said Iowa State Patrol Officer Paul Gardner. “So we’re hoping that when they see these and talk to the troopers who are manning the booths like, the seatbelt sensor or the crashed Camaro, they’re going to process every time they get in the car.”

The message was noted by students at the assembly.

“It’s kind of scary that this could be one of us, at some point,” said Lincoln Johnson, a student at Pocahontas Area High School.

“I feel like this is a really eye-opener thing, puts into perspective of how the different crashes impact people,” said student Zoe Kern.

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