The educational trailer will be on display at the Steuben County Public Safety Building in Bath
From Steuben County,
BATH — A graphic visual challenge was laid down to all youthful drivers in Steuben County Friday at the county Public Safety Building, the culmination of a five-year campaign to draw attention to the dangers of driving while distracted, drunk or under the influence:
A slight slip to the right or left, a swerve, a forceful stop, and lives are lost and families broken.
Steuben County lost the futures of five energetic and talented young men and women within the course of four months in 2019 due to recklessness and intoxication.
Emilee Rawleigh of Dansville died in late July 2019 after she was ejected from a vehicle reportedly traveling under 35 MPH. Rawleigh was “surfing” through the car’s open sunroof and distracted the driver, according to witnesses. She was a passenger.
In October 2019, Korbie Higgins of Bath, Coy Miner of Hammondsport, Nikki Wise of Prattsburgh, and Adam Bellamy of Pulteney died when the vehicle they were riding in hit a tree around 1 a.m. Investigators concluded speed and alcohol were significant factors in the fatal crash. The victims were passengers.
A five-year crusade by Rawleigh’s mother Steuben County Sheriff Dispatcher Kim Clark and the county Sheriff’s Office reached a new level when the educational trailer “Emilee’s Challenge” was opened to public view Friday.
“I miss her every day,” Clark said. “She had choices. Everyone has choices. She made the wrong one.”
The trailer has been developed as a harrowing educational tool to demonstrate the dangers of distracted, impaired or intoxicated driving and riding with an impaired or intoxicated driver. The trailer uses the debris from the two fatal crash scenes to educate drivers on the fatal consequences associated with distracted, impaired or intoxicated driving.
Screens in the trailer show a video featuring testimonials from victim’s families, investigators and first responders. The video also includes previously unreleased images, 911 recordings and videos from the two deadly crashes that left experienced witnesses shaken.
“You never forget what you see at those scenes,” county Sheriff James Allard said Friday. “Never.”
Delayed by the COVID epidemic in 2020, the educational trailer is the culmination of more than three years of work from collaborators and supporters of the Sheriff’s Office, including Clark and county Undersheriff John McNelis, and would not have been possible without many sponsors including: Steuben County Sheriff’s Foundation Board of Directors; Dave Palma and Jennifer Young from State Farm Insurance; Goodrich Auto; WILBRI Inc.; Grey Goose Graphics; MR GRAFIX; Myers RV; George Kastenhuber and WETM; NYS Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee – STOP DWI; Steuben Prevention Coalition; Symbol Arts; and Emilee’s Challenge Committee.
Organizers hope the Challenge trailer increases awareness of the dangers of intoxication and distraction.
Because tragedies such as those suffered by Emilee Rawleigh, Korbie Higgins of Bath, Coy Miner of Hammondsport, Nikki Wise of Prattsburgh, and Adam Bellamy of Pulteney and their families can never be understood.
Only prevented.
