In recent months, at least four people, including a father, reportedly died as a result of caving into a dangerous new TikTok trend. A boat jumping challenge wherein people jump from the rear of the vessel while it is moving at a high speed has proved fatal for many.
According to Captain Jim Dennis of the Childersburg Rescue Squad, the thrill-seekers leapt or flipped off the backs of speeding boats only to break their necks on the wake and drown. “Last six months we have had four drownings that were easily avoidable. They were doing a TikTok challenge. It’s where you get in a boat going at a high rate of speed, you jump off the side of the boat, don’t dive, you’re jumping off feet first and you just kinda lean into the water.”
“I think individuals caught up in the accident were likely to do something stupid because they wanted to show it off on their social media for clout and their friends,” he mentioned and expressed his concern that this fatal fad will grow over the summer. “That is a very big concern because we have seen this pattern emerge over the last two years and it’s sporadic. But it’s something that needs to go away and stay away.”
The captain noted that although the challenge dubbed as boat jumping, has been a problem for first responders for the past two years, it has gotten worse since the beginning of the year. The first victim drowned in the Coosa River in February while his wife, three children and other closed ones looked on from the boat. “Unfortunately, she recorded his death,” the official informed.
A middle-aged male was involved in the most recent occurrence in May. He is appealing to people to refrain from doing the challenge and requesting that loved ones keep their family and friends from jumping. “Do not do it. It’s not worth your life.”
Any variation of the two terms, such as “boat jumping” brings up videos of daredevils potentially experiencing what he dubbed “instant death.” The participants range from all ages. The landing pad is hazardous and feels like concrete due to the boat’s fast rate of speed and the motionless water. Without protecting their neck and head, a person jumping from a moving boat risks becoming permanently paralysed, if not possibly dying instantly.
Jim Dennis recommended dialling 911 right away if anyone doesn’t see their loved one resurface after jumping. He advised, “Try to stay in the region, but if you must depart, make sure to mark the place with something from the boat, your phone, or your boat’s technology.”
While the people are jumping into the water as part of the challenge, it is causing severe injuries and fractures. Because when someone jumps from a speeding boat, the water acts like a hard surface, resulting in severe injuries. In all four deaths, the necks of the victims broke, resulting in instant deaths.