Vehicular reality check unusually real for students

BOUNTIFUL — The mangled vehicle rests behind Viewmont High School in the rear of the parking lot.

Unless a student was going to the football field or the track, the white pickup truck is not in an area that gets a lot of traffic. But everyone at Viewmont is talking about it, and everyone knows where it is.

Students and even adults and juveniles who don't go to the school are seeking out the vehicle to get a look at it.

"Puts out a good message … this is what would happen if you drink and drive," said Collin Stevenson, 17, who drove through the Viewmont parking lot Wednesday with his father to see the car, even though he does not go to the school.

This is Red Ribbon Week at Viewmont, the annual campaign encouraging students not to drink and drive. Each year, a car involved in a DUI accident is placed on the school grounds to give students a visual reminder of the possible consequences of drinking and driving.

"It's a very real reminder," said school vice principal Dan Linford. "It is life-threatening. It's not all fun and games. It is a powerful reminder. You look at it and can't imagine how anyone can survive it."

The crunched and twisted remains of the white pickup were delivered Tuesday.

School administrators cannot discuss any details about where the vehicle came from, what kind of accident it was involved in or confirm whether any of their students were injured. They admit, however, that the vehicle has received much more attention than vehicles used in the past. Groups of students will stand near the truck and just "stare at it for awhile," Linford said.

Every student the Deseret News spoke with said the buzz in the hallways was about the wrecked vehicle and the story behind it.

Early Saturday, a 16-year-old girl and a 17-year-old boy, both Viewmont students, were driving down a narrow portion of Farmington Canyon when their vehicle rolled 600 to 700 feet down the mountain. The male driver was pinned under the vehicle, while the female passenger was thrown from the pickup and struggled to climb back up the hill to get help. Deer hunters heard the teens yelling for help several hours later, and search and rescue teams were called.

The rear window amazingly remained intact, along with its distinguishable logo. Students say the logo confirmed to them the rumors about whose vehicle it was.

Davis County Sheriff's Capt. Kenny Payne said alcohol was not being investigated as part of the accident. Every student the News talked to, however, said he or she believed alcohol had been a factor. One student said it was the teen's father who donated the vehicle as part of Red Ribbon Week to send a strong reminder to other students not to drink and drive.