And now for a story you won't be able to read without your jaw hanging open: A 10-year-old boy from California City, California, is in serious condition after falling off the roof of his parents' car while was attempting to "car surf." But it doesn't end there — the boy sustained most of his injuries after being run over by the car immediately after falling from its roof and sliding down the car's hood.
The terrifying incident happened on April 12, and police say the boy remains in critical condition and will need surgery.
According to 23ABC, the boy's injuries include two broken shoulders, a broken pelvis, and some fractured ribs. He also has internal bleeding, though doctors are reportedly unsure yet as to where the bleeding is coming from.
If there's any bit of good news here, it's that the 10-year-old is alive, and a friend told the news outlet that the boy's brain activity is good, and there aren't any injuries to his spine. That's pretty incredible, considering he was reportedly dragged for a short distance and witnesses initially suspected he sustained a head injury.
If you're reading this wondering how on Earth the boy's parents would possibly allow him to do such a dangerous thing ... well, SAME.
However, it might be best not to jump to conclusions just yet. Police are still investigating and have not yet filed charges against the parents, which suggests they may not have even been aware their son was on the roof of the car when they were driving.
(If that's the case, I honestly can't imagine a more horrifying realization when he was thrown from the roof and dragged beneath the car.)
Shockingly, this isn't the only story of its kind to make headlines this week.
A 15-year-old boy from Wichita, Kansas, remains in critical condition after he also tried "car surfing" over the weekend. In that case, the teen wasn't holding on to the roof of the car, but was riding a skateboard alongside it and holding on to the passenger-side door (whose window was open). At some point, KWCH reports, the teen lost control, fell to the ground, and struck his head.
It's unclear whether speed or alcohol were factors, according to the outlet, but the victim appears to not have been wearing a helmet, which contributed to his injuries.
Sadly, "car surfing" became something of a social media craze in the last year.
The scary teen trend has been around for a while, but it really began to pick up steam online just recently. According to Newsweek, users have posted videos of themselves "surfing" everything from car roofs to moving trains, which has inspired others to attempt death-defying feats of their own.
But those viral videos, which rack up thousands and sometimes millions of views, show nothing of the real dangers that await.
Just last year, 15-year-old New Jersey teen Ryan Mullen was killed while attempting to car surf on top of an Uber with a friend. The teens paid the driver $40 to let them do it, and hoped that a video taken by a third friend would go viral.
Mullen sustained a serious head injury when he was tossed from the vehicle and onto the pavement, and — perhaps most disturbing of all — the deadly accident was broadcast in real-time on Snapchat.
“No family should go through this pain,” his father, Matt Mullen, told NBC News 4 in November. “It’s a club that no one should be part of.”
“It’s thinking you’re invincible, that you really can’t get hurt,” the boy's mother, Janice Mullen, added.
As for the 10-year-old in California City, he's expected to make a full recovery -- but it will be a long one.
In the meantime, police are not identifying the boy or releasing his family's name in an effort to protecting his rights as a minor.
That said, authorities hope this story serves as a reminder for why risky Internet challenges need to end, and children and teens need to be aware of the real — and potentially fatal — risks that many pose.
