Authorities in Alabama, in the southeastern United States, are warning of “boat jumping,” a popular challenge on social networks like TikTok.
This is a new popular challenge on TikTok that is causing concern for the emergency services. As Le Parisien reports on Monday, July 10, 2023, an unconscious practice has led to this the death of at least four people in the last six months in the state of Alabama, USA. The captain of the Childersburg rescue brigade rang the alarm bell when he realized with fear that “drownings could have been avoided”.
In fact, the victims of these accidents “participated in a TikTok challenge. It’s about getting on a high-speed boat, jumping off the boat, not diving, jumping and somersaulting,” said Jim Dennis in an interview with American channel WBMA.
A deceased father
This dangerous tendency is referred to as “…”. boat jumping (“Jump from a Boat”) and inspired at least a hundred people, whose videos can be viewed on social networks, notes Le Parisien. However, it turns out to be particularly dangerous. It notably caused the death of a man watched by his wife and children last February.
“Unfortunately, [la mère de famille] “I registered his death,” lamented the captain of the rescue team. “I think people tend to do something stupid in front of the camera because they want to show off to their friends on social media,” he told ABC 7.
He then adds: “This is very worrying because over the past few years we’ve watched this pattern emerge, but it’s something that needs to go and not come back.”
The water gets hard
The New York Post points out that this challenge isn’t fun because the boat’s high speed combined with landing in rather calm water can make the surface as hard as a wall. concrete.
Persons attempting a backflip may land right on the neckwhich can paralyze them for life or even lead to instant death