A Temecula teenager was hospitalized with major injuries after he attempted to “ghost ride” a Toyota Tundra on Sunday.
The 16-year-old attempted the stunt, in which the driver puts the car in neutral and walk or run along side of it while it is moving, in a residential neighborhood, reports the Press Enterprise. During his attempt, the teen tripped on a rock, fell, and was run over by the Tundra. Another teen, who was riding in the passenger seat, was able to stop the truck before it crashed into a house.
“He’s lucky to be alive right now,” California Highway Patrol Officer Mike Lassig told the newspaper. “We’re thankful he is alive, and we’re hoping something like this will educate some parents about their teens’ safety.”
The unnamed teenager suffered a collapsed lung, fractured shoulder, ruptured ear drums, and other abrasions, the news release said.
Dexter Padilla, a neighbor, found the 16 year old boy bleeding in the street and asked the boy’s friend what they were doing.
“He goes, ‘Oh, we were trying to pull this stunt and YouTube it.’ And I was just like, ‘Ohh,’” he told CBS Los Angeles.
Ghost riding – which was made popular courtesy of a dumb E-40 song that I am not posting here – is illegal, though no charges had been filed as of Tuesday.
