Viral ‘Hot water challenge’ leaves teen seriously burned ‘My skin just fell off my chest and face’
Just when parents had finally recovered from the Tide pod challenge, the “Hot water challenge” has now taken its place, and with even more harmful ramifications.
An Indianapolis family is speaking up about the dangers of the social media challenge after the prank resulted in a 15-year-old being severely burned.
—Lebron James takes on Trump’s NFL attacks ‘I believe our president is trying to divide us’—
The rules of the viral dare are simple: teens are encouraged to either drink boiling water through a straw or have the water poured on them.
What could go wrong right?
Last week, Kyland Clark says he and a friend were watching videos about the challenge on YouTube when they decided to someday try it on each other. So that same evening, while Kyland was sleeping, his friend poured boiling water on him as a joke.
What happened next was no laughing matter though, as Kyland ended up suffering from second-degree burns on his back, chest, and face, and had to stay in the hospital for a week while undergoing treatment.
“And then I looked down at my chest. My skin just fell off my chest, and then I looked in the mirror and I had skin falling off here and, on my face,” recounts the teen.
“To see my baby, all burned up like that, it was heartbreaking,” his mother Andrea said.
—Nia Wilson’s accused killer appears in court for parole violation—
Doctors say they’re starting to see increased incidents of internet challenges landing young people in the ER.
“It’s suggesting to people that they can try it and they won’t be hurt, but they will be, I can guarantee it,” Dr. Ed Bartkus said.
Bartkus warns that drinking boiling hot water or having it thrown at you puts you in danger of permanent disfigurement due to burns on the body or burns to the airway, and can in some cases even result in death. An 8-year-old in Florida recently died after attempting the challenge.
“If your friends are telling you to do this, they aren’t good friends,” the doctor opined.
Kyland is expected to heal from his injuries, but it will take a few months for the pigment to return to his skin. He was supposed to start school next week but his mother says, for the time being, the priority is for him to stay at home and heal.
So I just learned that there is a new dangerous challenge going around social media “the hot water challenge.” 1 dead others burnt. DON’T DO IT!
They pour boiling water on friends. Just when I thought this generation of kids were getting smarter…I hear this.
— James Lamprey (@FunFoodsyt) July 30, 2018
