A Tik Tok stunt that has recently gone viral places teens at a high risk of brain injury and spinal injury.
The “Skull Breaker” challenge on the popular platform Tik Tok involves two teens pulling the legs out from under a third person who is essentially the victim. The resulting fall can cause a serious spine injury or brain injury. In fact, hospitals around the US have reported serious neck, spine and brain injuries linked to the stunt gone horribly wrong. And now that more children and teens are home due to schools being cancelled, the incidence of these injuries is rising.
Basically, the stunt involves tricking a third person into jumping, and sweeping their legs out from under them as they jump. When the victim falls, he is likely to sustain a severe impact to his skull, resulting in a head or brain injury. Other possible injuries include a spinal injury as the back sustains the maximum impact of the fall. These injuries have led to several hospitalizations.
Tik Tok has begun asking viewers to avoid participating in possibly dangerous or injurious stunts, but that has not stopped many young people from participating in these stunts for Tik Tok views. As a result, countless of teens and children are being injured in the process.
Social media stunts are not new, and in fact are very common. Some of these, however, can be outright dangerous. Parents must talk to their children about avoiding stunts that have dangerous consequences. The “Bird Box” challenge in 2019 asked participants to perform a number of activities, including driving a car blindfolded. The Tide Pods challenge in 2018 required teens to bite into or chew Tide laundry detergent pods before spitting them out. These types of stunts are quick to lure children and teens, who may not be aware of the dangers of ingesting laundry detergent, into performing such stunts. The “Skull Breaker” challenge goes one step further in causing direct and tangible injury to the participant.
Even a moderate blow to the head can have serious consequences. Reports have emerged of persons passing out after the “Skull Breaker” challenge. However, even if a person does not lose consciousness after an injury, that does not necessarily mean that there has been no damage to the brain.
Slip and fall accidents are a major cause of brain injures. A brain injury can cause long term physical and psychological changes. Even a moderate brain injury can result in persistent chronic fatigue, memory loss, concentration difficulties, and fatigue. Tremors may also emerge, and the person may even suffer from blurred vision and seizures. You should never ignore an injury when there has been a blow or jolt to the head as a brain injury can be very possible. Always seek medical advice to rule out serious damage.
The Atlanta slip and fall lawyers at the Katz Personal Injury Lawyers represent persons injured in slip and fall accidents across Georgia. If you or a loved one have been injured in a slip and fall on someone else’s property, talk to an Atlanta slip and fall lawyer at our firm, and discuss your chances for compensation for your injuries. You may qualify for a claim that helps you recover your medical costs and lost income, as well as other damages.