Simulation highlights dangers of impaired driving for Las Cruces High students

LAS CRUCES, New Mexico -- Las Cruces high school students gathered today to watch a simulation showing the death and injury of seven of their classmates in front of their campus.

It was a simulation put on by "Shattered lives" to teach high school students the repercussions of driving impaired. Students saw one victim die, another victim wounded, three victims transported by air, one transported by the fire department, and one transported by ambulance.

Maria Del Carmen is an actor for "Shattered Lives." She portrays a grieving mother.

"Not that I am proud of this, but I myself was a drunk driver at one time, and I did, you know, pay the consequences because of my consequences my children, my grandkids, there was a lot of people that were involved in this that had consequences along with me," said Del Carmen.

"To this day, it even makes me cry sometimes when I think of the consequences I had behind that DWI," Del Carmen said.

Christoper Hamilton is a student at Las Cruces high school. He played the driver responsible for the accident.

"Knowing that it's a simulation that I would've killed some of my closest friends, I can't bear that and I hope no one else has to, and I hope that's what they gain from this experience," said Hamilton.

This is the first time since 2019 that "Shattered Lives" has returned to a school campus.