Message of “is it worth it?” presented to Waukon High School, Middle School students during mock accident, presentation by State Patrol, families of victims

Students at Waukon High School and Waukon Middle School were presented with a reminder of the impacts of choices they make through a mock traffic accident conducted Tuesday, April 22 by local emergency responders and a presentation by the Iowa State Patrol and the families of two teenage girls from Dubuque who lost their lives in a traffic accident in the very early morning hours of July 1, 2022. The mock accident event was purposely held during the week prior to the Waukon High School Prom scheduled for Saturday, April 26 in an effort to emphasize to the students the importance of making good choices.

The families of Kennedy Elskamp and Chloe Lucas, both age 17 at the time of their fatal accident in Dubuque, have been visiting high schools throughout the Midwest since the accident sharing their experience of losing their daughters, and/or sisters, after the driver of the 2014 Chevrolet Camaro they were riding in, 18-year-old William “Billy” Wodrich of Dubuque, lost control of the vehicle he had been driving at rates of speed approaching 150 miles per hour, according to investigative reports. That vehicle ultimately entered the ditch just before a bridge overpass and went airborne at a high enough rate of speed where the vehicle cleared the roadway below and eventually struck the embankment on the other side at a speed calculated at 104 miles per hour upon impact, before rolling multiple times, based on further investigative reports. The accident ultimately claimed the lives of all three teenagers in that vehicle.

The school visits include a presentation of Iowa State Patrol officers and family members of the two teenage girls speaking (as depicted in the accompanying photo further inside this week’s edition), along with a video created by the families and the Iowa State Patrol showing footage of the speeding Camaro prior to the accident, and the testimonies of family members and friends on the impact of losing two loved ones at such a young age. That video can be viewed at the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKNjD0WEBb4. The visits also include the impactful display of the mangled remains of the actual Camaro involved in the accident, towed on a trailer by an Iowa State Patrol vehicle and still containing articles of clothing, personal items and blood stains that remained in the car following the accident.

The mock accident itself, coordinated by local emergency responders and the Allamakee Community School District, involved a more localized scenario set up just outside of Waukon High School, with two wrecked vehicles being posed in a head-on collision scene (as depicted in the accompanying photo on the front page of this week’s edition of The Standard). Students were released from their schools to view the scene which involved a pair of fellow students playing the roles of victims in one vehicle and a pair of Waukon High School staff members depicting victims in the second vehicle.

Emergency responders converged on the scene in a realistic reenactment of extracting trapped victims from the vehicle wreckage, treating victims on scene, and ultimately pronouncing one deceased in an impactful display of “this could happen to you” reality. The Gundersen Air ambulance descended upon the scene as well, giving students a further dose of the level of seriousness and the opportunity to tour one of the area helicopters used to transport patients in heightened emergencies. A video with an initial stage-setting scenario and further highlights of the overall event can be found on the Allamakee Community School District Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/AllamakeeCSD/videos/549313441540623.

Family members of the teenage girls involved in the fatal accident who spoke during the follow-up presentation inside Waukon High School ultimately left the students to ponder one question: “Is it worth it?”, meaning, are the decisions to drive at a high rate of speed or recklessly; the decisions to drive distracted by texting or other use of cell phones or devices; or the decisions to drive after consuming alcohol or drugs - or the use of drugs or alcohol at all, especially under age; worth risking their own lives or the lives of others.

“We’re planting that seed,” Chloe’s stepmother said during the presentation. “Please think twice! Is (that decision) worth your life?”

To read the full article, pick up the Wednesday, April 30, 2025 print edition of The Standard or subscribe to our e-edition or print edition by clicking here.