'Death' visits Hernando High

"Death" came to claim 10 Hernando High School students Thursday.

One minute students were sitting in class as usual. But without warning, a deputy walked in and delivered the sad news that one of their fellow classmates had died in an accident — due to not wearing a seatbelt.

Striding in behind the deputy was a man dressed as the Grim Reaper himself; standing nearly 7-feet tall, wearing a black hood, while his hands — looking skeletal — carry a sickle and a seatbelt strap.

School Resource Officer Bill Page then called out students' names and just like that, death claimed them. One by one, in classroom after classroom, a student was called out of his or her desk to go stand with "death." No longer can he or she sit or interact with their classmates.

Instead, they spent the day acting almost like ghosts — their faces painted white with dark shadowing under their eyes. They also wore black T-shirts with white lettering that read: "I chose not to wear my seatbelt. Would you miss me if I was gone?"

Page told students that death doesn't just affect one person, but impacts everyone.

As part of seatbelt safety, Hernando County Sheriff deputies used the costume and drama to reach out to teens about the importance of wearing their seatbelts.

Sheriff Al Nienhuis, along with a handful of other deputies, were on hand to walk with James Dean in his Reaper outfit and talk about how seatbelts can prevent deaths during vehicle crashes.

"Any time you want to impact teenagers, you have to get them at an emotional level," Nienhuis said. "You can bring them all the facts and figures you want, but seeing their fellow students no longer able to interact with them — it has an impact. Plus, the visuals help."

Also on hand Thursday was Sgt. Steve Gaskins with the Florida Highway Patrol and a car simulator that shows what happens to a body inside a car if it flips and those inside aren't wearing seatbelts.

With a crowd of students watching, Gaskins hit the switch and the car spun while dummies were thrown around inside. At one point, an infant and adult-size dummy were thrown from the vehicle.

Students were asked to sign a contract promising to wear their seatbelts anytime they are in a vehicle, whether as a passenger or a driver.

Meanwhile, Nienhuis thanked the students who agreed to "die" Thursday and added that it's possible they helped save lives.

"Seatbelts won't prevent accidents — but they could decide whether someone walks away from one," Nienhuis said. "Even if we convinced one person to wear their seatbelts, that's one life we've possibly saved."