Teen knocked unconscious in frightening Schoolies stunt: 'Pretty horrifying'
A South Australian teenager who was knocked unconscious after jumping off a roof at Schoolies celebrations admits the stunt was a “bit of a silly idea.”
Jude Lane from Adelaide had travelled with mates to Port Elliot caravan park for the end of year party when he climbed onto a toilet block on Saturday night, as reported by Nine News.
In terrifying footage captured by onlookers, the 18-year-old can be seen being egged on by friends, chanting “table, table,” until he leaps from the roof.
While crashing down onto a plastic table below, he collides with another boy who’s made the jump with him who then lands on Jude's head at the moment of impact.
Lying limp on the ground, the 18-year-old spent two minutes unconscious on the grass as friends gathered around him and called for help.
“I remember jumping off and like seeing, as I was coming down, seeing my mate come down as well which I didn’t know was going to happen,” he told Nine News. “I remember then waking up on the ground with nurses around me asking if I was alright.”
With a torn schoolies shirt, the teen was rushed in an ambulance to South Coast District Hospital with a concussion, but discharged later that night.
Speaking days after the dangerous schoolies stunt, Jude said he regretted his actions.
“I guess I was sort of trying to be pretty funny, like just do something and give me a bit of attention at the end of the day,” he said. “[It was] a bit of a silly idea in the end. [I’m] definitely pretty lucky I reckon, it could have been a lot worse.”
Jude’s parents added that it was a “very anxious time” while they waited to find out what had happened to their son and how badly he was injured.
Describing his antics as “pretty horrifying,” Helen Lane, Jude’s mother, told Nine News that “[it’s] not the kind of thing a mother wants to see their kid doing.”
Social media stunt beyond police control
Police have slammed the incident, believed to have been sparked by social media, as reckless.
“Unfortunately there’s only so much you can do to make sure people make safe and sensible decisions,” South Australian Police Commissioner Grant Stevens said.
“I think it’s a sad reality that it’s one of the consequences of social media that people are spurred on to do things that are obviously inherently dangerous because of their perceived opportunity to seek some sort of attention through social media.”
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