“She recorded her death”: the “boat jumping”, this deadly TikTok challenge which worries the United States

2023-07-10 13:13:26

At least four people – including a father – have died in recent months for giving in to a potentially deadly new TikTok trend, authorities in Alabama said amid National Day celebrations. Independence, these last days. Thrill-seekers have jumped or flipped backflips from high-speed boats, before breaking their necks in their wake and drowning, according to Capt. Jim Dennis of the Childersburg Lifeboat Squad, Alabama.

“In the last six months we have had four preventable drownings. They were participating in a TikTok challenge. It’s about getting in a boat at high speed, jumping out of the boat, not diving, jumping while doing a somersault,” explained Jim Dennis at local channel WBMA.

This trend – called “boat jumping” – has been a problem for rescuers for two years, the captain said, but it has particularly intensified since the start of 2023.

Police say at least 4 people have died doing the TikTok boat jumping challenge

“When they jumped out of the boat, they literally broke their neck … instant death” pic.twitter.com/OKUPNXlGG0

— Culture Crave ???? (@CultureCrave) July 9, 2023

The first victim died in February after jumping into the Coosa River as his wife and children watched from inside the boat. “Unfortunately, she recorded his death,” the officer said.

The effect of a concrete wall

Despite this locally publicized tragic end, three other people ignored the warnings of rescuers and succumbed to the same fate in the months that followed. “It’s a very big concern because we’ve seen this pattern emerge over the last couple of years, he added, but it’s something that needs to go away and not come back,” he added. underline. “I think people, if they’re being filmed, are more likely to do something stupid because they want to show off in front of their friends on social media,” the spokesperson pointed out. to ABC.

A quick search on TikTok of the hashtag “#boatjumping” identifies at least hundreds of videos of “daredevil” filming themselves in the exercise and not only in the United States. American lifeguard Jim Dennis describes the challenge as, in effect, an “instant death” experience.

Indeed, this challenge does not take science into account. The high speed of the boat, combined with jumping into rather stagnant water, turns lakes or rivers into landing pads that are at the time of impact the equivalent of a concrete surface. The damage is then immediate. If a person who jumps from a moving boat does not protect their neck and head, they risk being permanently paralyzed or even dying instantly, authorities say.

Jim Dennis also asks boaters and speedboat enthusiasts to avoid this lethal trend and asks their loved ones not to participate. ” Don’t ! “, he urged.