By Eileen Fleming
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wwno/local-wwno-872772.mp3
New Orleans, La. – Eight St. Mary's students played the parts of teenagers involved in a car crash. The script called for a drunken driver, and an intoxicated passenger who wasn't wearing a seatbelt. State police and New Orleans EMT staffers also took part, bringing equipment to the sketch that they use in real life.
That front seat passenger was played by student Ainsley Messina, who spent the production halfway through a shattered windshield and sprawled lifeless on the hood.
Her real-life parents - George and Stacy Messina -- ad-libbed a scene of what it's like to hear from police that a child had been killed.
During the question-and-answer session, officials added a warning that texting while driving can also provide a deadly distraction. Ainsley was moved.
The production with LSU public hospital officials is staged throughout the year.