RATHDRUM - The injuries to the students weren't real this time, but the tears of some parents and classmates looking on were.

And so were the stark reminders of the ripple effect drinking and driving can have.

Parent Leanna Horne was overcome with emotion watching her son, Lakeland High senior Matt, play the role of the drunk driver in a mock crash in Rathdrum on Friday.

"It's way more emotional than I ever thought it would be," she said, watching her son be "arrested" after failing a field sobriety test. "All these kids are good kids. They've been hanging out together since they were in kindergarten.

"I signed off on my son being involved (as an actor), but I got more and more sick to my stomach thinking about this."

All it takes for tragedy to unfold is a split second or one poor decision by you or even someone else, no matter how good you've been the previous 18 years, she said. The mock crash served as a grim, yet critical reminder of how precious life is and how easily it can unravel, especially around graduation time amid celebrations.

"This is great to show students," she said. "I hope it scares them straight."

Senior Elizabeth Campbell said the crash aftermath was stunning to watch because it involved fellow classmates.

"The hardest part was watching Malia (Parker) leave in the helicopter and Dakota (St. Mark, who went through the windshield)," Campbell said. "They're some of the sweetest people I know. It shows you that one stupid thing can affect even the nicest people in the world, even though it wasn't your decision."

Senior Kristina Russell said the ripple effect became apparent on the faces of the parents and fellow students and in the actions of the emergency responders.

While most mock crashes, including Lakeland's, are geared toward seniors because of graduation time, Horne said all students would benefit if it's possible for them to be there.

"Kids are seeing things (such as alcohol and drugs) earlier and earlier," she said. "My other son is going to be a freshman next year, and I wish he could be here."

Several agencies and companies, including Rathdrum Police, the Kootenai County Sheriff's Office, Idaho State Police, Northern Lakes Fire, Life Flight and Bell Tower Funeral Home, participated in the event. In the head-on "crash," two students died. Ironically, the drunk driver walked away. Victims were extricated from both vehicles.

"It's very impactful," said Shannon Hall, a Lakeland High teacher who helped organize the event. "This is something students will remember for the rest of their lives. Maybe this will not only save their lives, but someone else's."

KCSO Deputy Jack McAvoy said about 11,000 high school-aged students die in the nation each year in motor vehicle crashes, many the result of DUI.

"It's something that doesn't have to happen," he said.

Lakeland Principal Conrad Underdahl told the students afterward that the crash wasn't intended as entertainment, but to make a point.

"Some of you have been in this spot (at parties or on the road), but thank God it didn't happen to you," he said. "If you go to a party - we don't condone that - but if you go, find someone who is sober or make a call."