In February 2023, a father died in front of his wife and children by jumping from a speeding boat on the Coosa River in Alabama. Like hundreds of people, this man participated in the challenge of “boat jumping”, launched on the social network TikTok. A challenge which, according to the authorities of Alabama, has already killed four people in six months in this state, reports Le Parisien. Rescuers warn of this dangerous practice, which consists of falling in a backflip from a moving boat.
“In the past six months we have had four preventable drownings. They were participating in a TikTok challenge,” said Captain Jim Dennis of the Childersburg Rescue Squad. According to the latter, American rescuers saw this practice happen two years ago, but it has become more and more problematic since the beginning of 2023.
“It’s something that has to go away and never come back,” insists Captain Jim Dennis. According to him, people who participate in this challenge actually have an “instant death” experience. Because falling from a moving boat into stagnant water has an effect similar to hitting a concrete surface. Those who lend themselves to this game run the risk of finding themselves paralyzed for life, or even dying.
If the risk is therefore established by science, the challenge still finds hundreds of followers, judging by the number of videos featuring the
