A 15-year-old dancer is in a coma after falling from a moving car in a Utah park as part of the internet “car surfing” trend, authorities and family members said.
Police say Cyprus High School sophomore Ava Broadhead is in fear for her life after an ill-fated attempt to stand on top of a moving vehicle last Wednesday night.
“The victim was on top of the vehicle and as the vehicle was driving around he fell off and unfortunately the pavement is not very forgiving and the victim struck his head,” said Sergeant Amy Race with Unified Police. He told Fox 13.
The girl suffered severe brain trauma, according to a GoFundMe started to raise money for the family's medical expenses.
“Prior to this accident, Ava was looking forward to performing with the dance team at the Homecoming football game and attending the Homecoming dance in a beautiful white dress that she had just picked out,” a family friend wrote.
“Now, instead of those fun experiences, she faces a long road to recovery where she must relearn basic skills such as walking, talking and even simple tasks like tying her shoelaces.”
Ava's mother, Kandis Broadhead, told Fox 13 that her daughter needed “life-threatening” brain surgery.
The boy's car surfing incident at Magna Regional Park came after his high school alumni parade was canceled due to poor air quality.
“They decided to do a trend that you can see on TikTok. I don't think you can see it on TikTok anymore, but you can search for car surfing elsewhere,” her mother said.
The girl remains in a medically induced coma to allow her brain to rest, but Broadhead fears for her daughter's long-term future.
“I can't imagine a future where Ava isn't Ava,” Kandis Broadhead said. “It will take months, if not years, to recover from that.”
Car surfing is the result of a social media trend that is making a comeback among young people, Sgt Race told local TV station Fox.
“Unfortunately, on social media, these types of trends ebb and flow, and this trend is picking up steam right now. I mean, this has its roots in movies from the '80s, from 10 years ago,” she said. “This was a big trend, and now this trend is picking up steam again.”
