The driver in a “car-surfing” accident in Colorado Springs has been charged with vehicular assault, and the victim who banged his head also may face charges, authorities said Tuesday.
The 17-year-olds took turns driving the car in circles around the Citadel Mall parking lot Sunday morning while the other rode on the hood, said Lt. Skip Arms, a police spokesman.
The victim fell off, striking his head against the pavement. He had been in critical condition after the fall but was upgraded to serious and stable condition Tuesday, Arms said.
The driver also had been injured but not as severely, the lieutenant added.
“It seems that somewhere around Colorado there are a handful of kids who are injured or killed doing this every year,” Arms said. “We don’t have any stats because it’s not a separate category; it’s a traffic accident.”
The driver has been charged as a juvenile.
A University of Michigan study in the 1990s found that 22 of the 26 car-surfing injuries they examined involved head injuries.
That doesn’t surprise Arms.
“I’m not aware of anybody who wears helmets when they do this,” he said.
Staff writer Vimal Patel can be reached at 303-954-1638 or vpatel@denverpost.com.
