Koehler illustrates what happens to accident victims

By Scott Williams • swilliams@greenbaypressgazette.com • February 25, 2010

Lisa Koehler visits teenagers in their driver’s education classes with the hope that she will never see them again.
Koehler is a nurse who treats traffic accident victims in the emergency room at Aurora BayCare Medical Center in Green Bay.
She has become a regular guest speaker in driver’s education classes, and her presentation is not for the faint of heart.
Koehler not only describes in detail how accident victims are treated in the ER, she displays needles and other tools of the trade.
If that fails to make an impression on students, she brings a body bag and shows how cadavers are handled after fatal accidents.
Some students occasionally get “grossed out,” Koehler said, but her objective in volunteering for the driver’s ed presentations is to prevent young people from getting hurt behind the wheel.
“It is to make them understand that there are consequences to their actions,” she said. “And it is a privilege to get a driver’s license.”
Koehler has become a fixture in Excel Driving Center classes throughout Brown County.
Excel teaches 1,200 to 1,400 new drivers annually, including some in Door, Manitowoc and Kewaunee counties.
Sandy Shimek bought the Green Bay-based business last year and decided to add a touch of realism to the traditional warnings about drunken driving, cell phone distractions and other hazardous habits.
Shimek has been pleased with Koehler’s approach, which she said also garners high praise from students and their parents.
“She really makes a huge impact,” Shimek said. “If we can touch one child, we may save that child’s life.”

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