COEUR d'ALENE - The mock crash at Coeur d'Alene High School was a hauntingly familiar sight for CHS senior Corey Martin.

"To be honest, I feel bad. I've been through this," he said. "I know exactly what they're going through at the moment."

Thursday's demonstration featured a staged DUI wreck involving young drivers and passengers. Two smashed cars with actors portraying wailing, stunned or fatally wounded victims presented seniors with the realities of drinking and driving, the weight of the aftermath and the devastation that accompanies such unfortunate events.

As the students stared out at responding units and mangled vehicles on Dalton Avenue, Martin recalled his own experience.

"Two of my friends died, actually," he said. Martin, 18, of Hayden, explained that he and his friends were hit by a drunk driver about four years ago. His friends were only 14 and 15.

"I feel really sad for the parents, because I had to go over and see the parents afterwards," he said. "And it's hard. There's not much talking, it's more crying through the whole thing."

The mock crash was a step-by-step scenario, from the moment the 911 call is placed and answered to when the hearse arrives to retrieve the deceased and the helicopter retrieves the critically wounded. A few of the seven actors were smeared with theatrical blood. One simulated a passenger ejected through the windshield and the driver of the offending vehicle was placed "under arrest" after performing a field sobriety test. He was handcuffed and placed in the back of a Coeur d'Alene Police Department cruiser.

"I thought it was real for just like a split second," said Seth Chrisman, 17, of Hayden. "You can tell it's staged, but it's still pretty shocking. And just to realize that anything can happen, just like that, pretty scary. Even if you're not a drunk driver, if you're not drunk, you're just going home from work, anything."

"It doesn't matter who you are," added Tabitha Glover, 18, of Coeur d'Alene. "I just hope that my fellow classmates actually take it seriously, because I feel like some of them are going to participate in drinking and driving, which is sad, and I hope this kind of opens their eyes a little bit."

The event was conducted by the Coeur d'Alene Police, Kootenai County Sheriff's Office, North Idaho Prevention Center, Coeur d'Alene Fire Department, Northwest MedStar and other organizations.

"We want the kiddos to learn cause and effect, what happens when you make poor choices," said Anita Kronvall, executive director of the Kootenai County Substance Abuse Council and Idaho State Police chaplain. "This is a time to seriously evaluate their life and where it's going, so that they have a future. Not just a better future, but so they have a future."

Kronvall said much of her zeal for educating youth about the dangers of impaired driving is because her daughter was killed in a wreck 12 years ago. The other driver was under the influence of methamphetamine.

An assembly in the auditorium followed the mock crash and included topics such as fatal crash statistics and explanations of what it means to be impaired. Coeur d'Alene Fire Department inspector/investigator Bobby Gonder spoke about his personal experiences with DUI.

"You were given an opportunity that I never had," Gonder said, referring to the mock crash demonstration. He told the seniors about his poor life choices when he was a senior and how it changed his life.

Gonder discussed wrecking his car as a high school senior during a night of party-hopping. He went to jail, then the hospital before later pleading guilty to a DUI charge. The sentence included loss of license for a year - all before he was 20.

Coeur d'Alene Police Officer Jon Spranget said what keeps him up at night and chills him to the bone is the thought of dead children. He said the participating officers conduct educational activities such as the mock crash so young adults can understand the severity of making poor choices.

"Do not get in that car while you're intoxicated," he said. "Do not get in that car when the driver is intoxicated. We don't want to see you guys die. We don't want to see that stuff happen."

Timberlake High students also served as actors in a mock crash at the school in Spirit Lake on Wednesday, emphasizing the risks of drinking and texting while driving. The event was organized by the Spirit Lake police and fire departments.