Teens Almost Die Attempting YouTube Stunt - Switched
Teens injured in would-be YouTube stunt
April 16th, 2008 @ 3:32pm
by KTAR Web/Newsroom
Peoria police said two teens are lucky to be alive after a would-be YouTube stunt went wrong on Saturday.
The teens were attempting to get their 2002 Mitsubishi Eclipse airborne while driving through the intersection at 91st Avenue and Beardsley Road.
"It was all being done as a stunt for YouTube," said Peoria Police Public Information Officer Mike Tellef. "He was hoping that they would be able to get the video of his car going airborne through the intersection and then his intentions were to post that video on YouTube."
Authorities said the car did go airborne, but the 16-year-old driver lost control of his car, drove off the road and hit several trees before rolling the vehicle.
The driver was ejected and is in critical condition.
His 17-year-old female passenger was pulled from the car by friends who witnessed the incident. She was treated at a hospital and released.
Police said the driver's friends were too scared to record the video with their cell phone camera due to high speeds, estimated at 70 to 85 miles-per-hour.
Tellef said following the YouTube beating of a Florida girl and the YouTube video of a Prescott Valley girl hit with a chair by a classmate, parents need to talk to their children about the website.
"They think these stunts are cute and funny and everything else, but they have very, very tragic consequences," he said. The incident remains under investigation.
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