Operation Impact: More than Just a Program

The video and program of Operation Impact works to educate teen drivers about accidents and hopes to expand the message nationwide.

In the early morning hours of Feb. 11, 2007, an Infiniti sedan packed with eight teens and a drunk driver slammed into a utility pole along Illinois Route 31 in Oswego.

Four of the teens died at the scene and another died of his injuries a week later. Three other teen passengers suffered injuries but survived. The driver was found guilty of multiple counts of aggravated DUI and reckless homicide and sentenced to 15 years in state prison.

Operation Impact Teaches Consequences

To make some kind of positive change out of that awful situation, Brian Caldwell and Jennifer Jones-Sinnot of the Rotary Club of Oswego put together Operation Impact, a program that educates kids about vehicle safety, including the consequences of drunk driving. The program introduces real-life scenarios to students and focuses on the many challenges young drivers will encounter after they obtain their driver’s license. It also encourages students to make responsible decisions. Additionally, the group, with assistance from the Oswego Police Department and Oswego Fire Protection District, made the above video re-enactment of the accident scene, including actual emergency dispatch recordings as well as firsthand accounts. 

The Oswego Police Department, Rush Copley Hospital, Kendall County Coroner’s Office and Feltes Insurance & Associates all take part in instructing this program in the Village's high schools. Operation Impact was first implemented during the 2008-2009 school year.