A joyride in a Colorado Springs parking lot turned tragic on Saturday night when an SUV doing donuts with thrill-seeking occupants hanging out of the windows flipped over, crushing the five juvenile passengers. Two have since been released from the hospital, while three others remain in critical but stable condition as of Wednesday.
The 19-year-old driver has been charged with reckless driving as well as an additional count of vehicular assault.
The all-too-quick life-changing moment was recorded and shared on social media, where it has become just the latest thrill-seeking video gone bad to go viral. It was first posted on X—the social media platform formerly known as Twitter—by @CatchUpFeed, which regularly posts “saucy news, culture, memes, viral videos, and commentary.”
The short video clip has since been shared and reposted, receiving upwards of a combined 10 million views. While it does show that bystanders were quick to respond and attempted to rescue one of the juveniles who was pinned under the SUV after it landed on its side, it is just the latest of such “crash” videos to make the rounds.
“These are gruesome and callous times and it is constantly available on TV or social media screens. Smartphones with cameras are in everyone’s pocket, and becoming a ‘reality-TV’ celebrity through a viral video has never been easier,” suggested Susan Schreiner, technology and social media analyst at C4 Trends.
“The recent Colorado crash video that went viral on social media shows how society has sunk to new lows,” Schreiner continued. “While each generation has had its rough kids and daredevils – these daring crash videos are akin to ‘snuff videos’ – except with potentially more dangerous repercussions.”
Show Off Or Die Trying!
It would seem that many viewers are more interested in the “agony of defeat” than the “thrill of victory,” to quote the tagline from ABC’s Wide World of Sports. A video of a car doing donuts in a parking lot, even with kids hanging out the window, likely wouldn’t be picked up by news outlets around the country, nor would it get millions of views.
Add in the horrific crash, and the view counter has worked overtime.
“There will always be people who want to show off in cars and now they can reach new levels of notoriety on social media,” explained Susan Campbell, distinguished lecturer in the Communication, Film and Media Studies Department at the University of New Haven.
“The takeover-the-streets videos I’ve seen follow a pattern of uncurated and more and more outlandish attempts to get attention. And then you seek the roll-overs,” added Campbell. “For what? I’d say sharing these videos is a big part of the problem. Let law enforcement do their job and stop sharing these. Just because you have a video doesn’t mean you have to share it.”
The question could also be asked why the platforms allow such videos to be shared in the first place—especially as it is very likely someone died. At what point do the social media companies have a responsibility?
“Is there the possibility that with the help of AI, an algorithm could be created that limits posting this type of crashing or other types of violence,” Schreiner pondered. “While possible, it’s unlikely in the face of First Amendment rights advocates.”
Perhaps a start would simply be for the social media platforms to create a more robust disclaimer, including focusing on the consequences of, how it ended or its current status—possibly including that someone went to jail, was paralyzed or in some cases even was killed.
“Young people have new role models and heroes. Instead of mom or dad—it’s someone they see on a screen, including a social media influencer, peer, bully, or other ‘adults’ spewing mistruths and hatred, and fermenting grievances,” warned Schreiner. “During this holiday season, social media can be a force for good so let’s figure out together, how can it be used to find new pathways towards greater social responsibility, personal accountability, and rekindle kindness and truth!”