Florida Teenager Seriously Injured During Roadside Haircut Stunt for Social Media
An 18-year-old was struck by a vehicle while filming a haircut on a highway median in Ocala, Florida.
An 18-year-old Florida resident sustained serious injuries after being hit by a car while participating in a social media video stunt that involved receiving a haircut on a highway median. The incident occurred Sunday evening in Ocala, Florida.
According to the Ocala Police Department, the teenager and two other young adults were in the middle of Southwest College Road, a six-lane highway, filming a video where one of them was cutting the other's hair. Police stated that as they were filming, a Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck collided with a Lexus SUV at an intersection, subsequently sending the Silverado toward the group on the median.
The 18-year-old was transported to a local hospital in serious condition. No other injuries were reported in connection with the crash. Investigators are examining the cause of the collision, but authorities noted that neither of the drivers involved showed signs of impairment.
Video footage captured at the scene by local content creator Yaj Lerom showed numerous emergency vehicles. Lerom also interviewed the two young adults who were filming the stunt. One of them described the events, recounting hearing tires screeching before a vehicle struck him and his friend.
"Next thing you know, we're pancakes and flapjacks - flying. It's not even funny," one of the individuals said about the impact. He added that after the crash, he saw his friend lying on the street before being taken to the hospital.
Lerom, speaking to WKMG, expressed concern about the trend of dangerous stunts for social media. "My thing was, young kids, something needs to be done. These accounts that are doing that need to be banned. They shouldn’t even be seeing these videos," he stated, referring to similar content.
He also characterized the highway where the filming took place as "very, very busy," suggesting it would be common sense to avoid such a location for a stunt. The injured teenager remained in stable condition as of Monday evening, according to WESH.