What Is The Duct Tape Challenge? Mother Warns About Dangerous YouTube Trend After Teenage Son Nearly Dies
A Washington state mother is warning families about the "duct tape challenge" after her 14-year-old old son nearly died while taking it. The boy ended up nearly choking on his own blood as he friends watched, Sarah Fish said.
The so-called “duct tape challenge” popular on YouTube involves having your body wrapped in duct tape and seeing how long it takes to escape. Skylar Fish, 14, and his two friends took the challenge on Jan. 16. His friends taped his legs and hands with duct tape as he stood in a room and then waited for him to free himself.
Sklyar had taken the challenge before, but this time he lost his balance as he tried to get out of the tape. He fell forward, hit head on the corner of a window frame and then slammed onto the concrete floor.
“If he would have hit on it differently, an inch over, he could have died,” Sarah Fish told KCPQ-TV. “If his friend didn’t flip him over when he was having a seizure and choking up blood, he could have died.”
Skylar had an aneurysm and shattered his eye socket and cheek bone. He received 48 staples on his head, Sarah Fish said a GoFundMe post called "Skylar's Recovery Challenge Fund" to raise money for medical care. "I'm just, actually, really lucky to be alive," the boy told local reporters as he was recovering at Seattle Children's Hospital.
Sarah Fish said parents need to know how risky the challenge is.
"I want people to stop and think that there are so many risks to any of these challenges," Sarah Fish told KIRO. "They're dangerous."
She added: “I don’t know what I would do if I lost him."
The family is hoping to raise $5,000 for Skylar's care. "For those who have been kind thank you!!! Insurance covers most. But still a lot of Dr appts and cosmetic surgery. This isn't shopping spree money, this is for those I knew to who wanted to help to help, including our family. The gofund was shared and its been very nice to see so much support. We aren't begging for any money, I would live life in debt for this. He's learned his lesson and hopes his stupid mistake teaches others," his mother wrote.
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