Car Accidents Caused by Reckless Stunts and Challenges
The roads of Florida are dangerous enough without drivers ratcheting up the intensity by performing internet challenges and stunts that cause car accidents. As social media has grown, social media stunts and challenges where people engage in questionable behavior for spectacle have led to young people suffering severe injuries.
Some of these social media stunts involve people using their cars to engage in reckless actions for engagement on social media platforms and five minutes of fame. These stunts have caused car accidents and severe injuries for unsuspecting drivers.
Engaging in these daredevil antics is the definition of negligent. Drivers performing stunts on the road violate the duty of care they owe other drivers to operate their vehicles safely. Filing a car accident claim after your accident could put you on the path to receiving compensation for your injuries.
The Role of Social Media in Causing Car Accidents
Social media has played a substantial role in the uptick in these challenges and stunts because reckless behavior on social media gets rewarded with likes, comments, and shares.
Take, for example, the recent flying Tesla stunt. The video was posted of a Tesla speeding up a hill in Echo Park, California, eventually reaching the top and soaring through the air. The stunt ended with the Tesla crashing into two other vehicles at the bottom of the hill. Despite the damage caused, the original video posted on Twitter has reached 19,000 retweets and 133,000 likes.
These stunts have severe consequences for the person performing them and any driver involved in a resulting accident. With the dopamine hit a viral video creates for the user, these stunts and challenges will likely continue and result in car accidents and injuries.
Social Media Challenges Involving Driving
The “Kiki Challenge” was a viral challenge back in 2018 after the release of the hit Drake song, “In My Feelings.” Users would blare the song from their car’s speakers and exit their moving vehicle to dance to the upbeat tune. The dangers of leaving a moving car were lost on social media users and led to injured participants.
The “Cha Cha Slide Challenge” is a TikTok driving challenge that involves the drivers moving their cars to the lyrics of the DJ Casper dance song. When the lyrics say to move to the left, they drive to the left. This sudden change of direction continues throughout the song, prompting drastic lane changes that can lead to car accidents.
Street Racing During Traffic Can Lead to Car Accidents
A street race is an unsanctioned race on a public road. According to Florida Statute 316.191, a race of any kind is illegal and is punishable by a year’s worth of jail time, a hefty fine, and license revocation.
Street racing requires the participant to ignore street laws and operate a vehicle in a highly reckless manner. Street racing can involve many negligent driving actions, including speeding, not using turn signals, blowing through stop signs and red lights, etc. A high-speed race can reduce a driver’s reaction time and control over their vehicle, leading to a car accident.
A street race in Ocala resulted in the death of another driver on the road back in October of 2021. The vehicles were going 96 and 98 miles per hour and crashed into an SUV pulling out of a Red Lobster onto State Road 200. The crash resulted in five hospitalizations and one death.
Car Accidents Caused by Car Surfing
Car surfing is a stunt that involves someone riding outside of a moving vehicle driven by someone else. This hazardous act can leave the person that is car surfing and other drivers on the road at risk of injury. The driver will be distracted by the person surfing on their vehicle and will not be able to pay full attention to the road.
They will also have to adjust their speed to compensate for the person’s car surfing. These adjustments can cause a car to move too slow to prevent the car surfer from flying off. A car moving too slow for the road can lead to a rear-end collision with another vehicle.
Skitching is a Form of Car Surfing That Can Cause Car Accidents
Another form of car surfing is skitching, which involves a person holding onto a car while using a bike, skateboard, scooter, or rollerblades. This dangerous activity requires space on the road for both the car and the person outside.
Taking up too much space can make it difficult for other cars to fit on the road and maneuver around the car used for skitching. Car accidents can occur because of the lack of space and distraction skitching causes.
Recovering Damages from a Car Accidents Caused by a Reckless Stunt
If you were involved in a car accident that resulted in damages exceeding the limits of coverage offered by your insurance, you should consider pursuing a car accident claim. By filing a car accident claim, you could potentially receive compensation for damages caused by an accident like medical bills, lost wages, as well as pain and suffering.
A car accident lawyer can help you determine the extent of your damages and whether personal injury protection will be enough to cover your injuries. If your insurance does not fully cover the damages, they can help determine if the reckless driver can be held liable for damages in a car accident claim. Filing a car accident claim to recover damages requires the other driver to be negligent to be held responsible.
Liability in a Car Accident Claim
For a driver doing a dangerous stunt or challenge to be held liable for damages, there must be proof that their negligence led to the accident. A car accident lawyer should not have difficulty proving their negligence with such visible negligence at play.
The following are some of the ways a car accident lawyer can prove a driver’s negligent actions caused a car accident:
- Witness testimony
- Video footage or pictures of the accident
- Medical records
- Ticket or arrest records
- Vehicle accident reconstruction
Contact Dolman Law Group for Help With Your Car Accident Claim
Consider contacting Dolman Law Group about your car accident case. The damages you could collect from a successful car accident claim include medical bills, damaged property, lost wages, lost earning potential, wrongful death, and pain and suffering.
Dolman Law Group’s experienced car accident lawyer can assist you in proving your severe injuries were caused by negligent drivers engaging in reckless internet challenges or stunts. We will fight with you to help you receive fair compensation for your injuries.
Get in touch with Dolman Law Group today for a free consultation. Call 833-55-CRASH or leave us a message on our online contact page.
