What was intended as a car stunt for the YouTube video-sharing Web site horribly backfired for two Peoria teens, police said Wednesday.
The two were injured, one of them critically, in a high-speed crash, said Mike Tellef, a Peoria police spokesman.
The rollover took place about 11:30 p.m. Saturday at 91st Avenue and Beardsley Road.
A 16-year-old boy, the driver of a 2002 Mitsubishi Eclipse, wanted to get a video shot with all four wheels of the vehicle off the roadway, Tellef said.
However, people in a following car, who were supposed to capture the stunt on a cellphone camera, got so scared by the speed, estimated at 70 to 85 mph, that they failed to shoot the video, Tellef said.
He said the boy lost control of the Eclipse as it roared north on 91st Avenue through the intersection.
The teen was ejected when the Eclipse went off the road, struck several trees and rolled.
The boy remained in a Valley hospital with life-threatening injuries, Tellef said.
A 17-year-old female passenger escaped with injuries that were not life-threatening, he said.
People in the following car helped pull her from the crashed vehicle, Tellef said.
They also told police that the boy had intended to post the video on YouTube.
Authorities have grown increasingly concerned about people filming outrageous stunts and then posting them online to bask in the sudden fame.
For example, several months ago in the southeast Valley, a driver had his Lamborghini sports car filmed traveling in excess of 200 mph on a freeway.
Tellef said the Peoria crash, which remains under investigation, serves as a reminder that parents should sit down with their teens and offer warnings about the serious consequences that can result from shooting YouTube stunts.
"In this case, the two injured teens are very lucky to be alive," he said.
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