TikTok, Reddit show kids running into cars

An Imperial Beach kid who some say deliberately ran into the car was the topic of recent discussions on the beachfront neighborhood streets and online forums.

On September 30, Imperial Beach locals posted and reposted a Facebook video of a kid who ran into a moving car. The controversial video was removed from the Facebook forums because arguments ensued, with naysayers arguing that the incident was accidental.

Moving white SUV (right) in Imperial Beach the kid ran into

Mark Williams from Imperial Beach doesn't think it was accidental; he reposted the video clip on NextDoor, which could be slowed down by clicking the three red dots (playback speed) on the right side of NextDoor's play button.  

"The kid was taken by ambulance," Williams added on the video's caption. "I am sure his parents will see huge bills for this. The guy who recorded this is a hero, at least to the car driver and his insurance."

The nine-second video depicts the kid suddenly running into a moving SUV traveling over 15 miles per hour. As the kid rams into the passenger side doors, he falls to the pavement, and the SUV moves out of the frame.    

As this article goes to print, the video is still live on NextDoor. 

Williams further explained, "Street talk with his friends, said it was deliberate. I am sharing this hopeful that parents will be proactive and talk to their children about the dangers of doing this .... Keep an eye on TikTok for the next insane thing."

Cris Adams is one of the parents who lives near where the video was filmed. In a recent interview, she said, "I just read the history. It’s like a TikTok challenge or something like this? Kids are so stupid."

TikTok challenges are when mostly younger folks do daring feats, jokes, or callouts on video in exchange for hopefully likes and re-shares. The more shocking the videos, the more views it might garner.

This daring feat challenge is called the Angel of Death, where teens attempting to jump in front of moving vehicles were struck and died.  

Videos depicting people deliberately running or walking into moving cars get pulled down for being classified as "dangerous acts and challenges."

Or "it's almost like committing suicide," added Adams, which is another reason TikTok videos get pulled. But some videos slip through the cracks and go viral before they're yanked. So Adams is proactive about what their son watches on devices. "First, I will limit the access to TikTok to my son and won’t allow him to use it. Also, good communication with your child is essential to prevent them from these online challenges that can lead to death."

One of the viral videos that was pulled down from TikTok but made it onto Reddit. Raymond Henry from Chula Vista recounted, "There's idiots online are posting videos of themselves standing on the sidewalk, then darting towards an oncoming vehicle. It's like the "Angel of Death" challenge where the drivers stop and skid."

The video Henry is referring to is a 29-second clip titled, "Buzz-starved brainless girl doin' TikTok puts her life in danger for a few views by running down the road to get in front of cars and nearly getting run over."    

Adriana from Bonita witnessed a different type of challenge with local teens. "There are videos of them riding (bikes) along a street, then veering into an oncoming car. According to the uncle of one of the kids who was filmed doing this a few weeks ago, this is a thing, and they’re trying to get paid out by insurance companies by claiming they were hit by a car... So, who knows if it’s a TikTok trend, but it’s happening, and those kids’ parents aren’t doing much about it."

Adams is a proactive parent. "I'd talk to my son, watch the video together, and talk about the fatal consequences that this could bring," she explained. "If your kid is smart enough, he will understand the message."

Henry, the Redditor above, is also a parent. He suggests drivers "Buy an onboard dash cam. They are cheap and will protect you from things like this."

Dashboard cameras sell on Amazon for about $60 and are simple to install and record constantly.

According to Grandviewresearch.com, the U.S. dashboard camera market increased from $562.9 million to $587.1 million during and after the height of the pandemic. "A crucial factor driving product demand is a rise in the number of fraudulent insurance claims and medical compensation by means of fake car accidents. It has also been observed that insurance companies are encouraging the use of dashboard cameras in vehicles to resolve insurance claims more accurately and quickly."