2023-07-11 00:50:00
In a few months, several people have died while participating in a TikTok challenge that involves jumping from a moving boat. Rescuers alert.
By Isabelle Missiaen for Le Point “Boat jumping” is a dangerous challenge launched on TikTok. © DENIS CHARLET / AFP Published on 07/11/2023 at 00:50
In February 2023, a father died in front of his wife and children by jumping from a speeding boat on the Coosa River in Alabama. Like hundreds of people, this man participated in the “boat jumping” challenge, launched on the social network TikTok. A challenge which, according to the authorities of Alabama, has already caused four deaths in six months in this State, reports The Parisian. Rescuers warn of this dangerous practice, which consists of falling in a backflip from a moving boat.
“In the last six months we have had four preventable drownings. They were participating in a TikTok challenge, ”laments Captain Jim Dennis, of the Childersburg Rescue Squad. According to the latter, American rescuers saw this practice happen two years ago, but it has become more and more problematic since the beginning of 2023.
“People, if they are filmed, are more likely to do something stupid”
“It’s something that has to go away and never come back,” insists captain Jim Dennis. According to him, people who participate in this challenge actually have an “instant death” experience. Because a fall from a moving boat in stagnant water has an effect similar to a shock on a concrete surface. Those who lend themselves to this game run the risk of finding themselves paralyzed for life, or even dying.
If the risk is therefore established by science, the challenge finds hundreds of followers, judging by the number of videos featuring #boatjumping on TikTok. “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,” says Jim Dennis.
READ ALSOTikTok: why Wes Anderson became trendy
#boat #jumping #deadly #challenge #popular #United #States