Wipeout: Christmas Tree Surfer Ends Up in Hospital

Kids, don't try this at home.

Christmas tree surfing, a new fad popular on the Internet and chronicled on YouTube, has landed a Southern California teenager in the hospital.
 
"We've heard about Christmas tree surfing, but never actually seen it done here," said Orange County Sheriff's Department spokesman Jim Amormino.
 
Deputies are still investigating the incident, which happened around 10:45 p.m. on Sunday in San Clemente. They say the kids tied two Christmas trees to the rear bumper of an SUV.

A 15-year-old boy was sitting on one of the trees; an 18-year-old boy was sitting on the other. The driver dragged the two surfers along Calle Ola Verde, going about 20-25 mph in a residential area, when the car struck a speed bump. This caused the tree on the right to swing out, slamming the 18-year-old tree surfer into and under a parked car.
 
He was transported to Mission hospital with moderate head trauma. He was still hospitalized as of Tuesday.
 
"He is very lucky he was not killed," Amormino said. "This is very dangerous, and if we see it happening, we will issue citation, maybe even impound the car."
 
The driver fled the scene after the crash. The car is registered to one of the kids. Amormino said it is just a matter time until the driver is identified, and technically it is a hit-and-run felony.

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