DOUGLAS COUNTY, Colo. (KDVR) — The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office is warning residents about “car surfing,” which it said led to the death of a teenager after a crash earlier this month.
Car surfing is when someone rides on the outside of a moving vehicle while it is being driven.
DCSO said deputies had responded to six calls involving young people car surfing over the past several weeks.
One incident was a rollover crash on May 5, on Quarry Drive near Finn Avenue. A 16-year-old was critically injured and later passed away due to their injuries.
Witnesses reported that the back seat passengers in the car were hanging out of the car windows.
Earlier in April, a deputy spotted two teenagers using a sunroof to sit on top of a car going over 55 mph on C-470.
On May 12, a resident reported another juvenile sitting on the ledge of a rear passenger window on a moving SUV and took a photo of the incident.
“No thrill or adrenaline rush is worth sacrificing your life or the lives of your friends or family members,” DCSO said in a release.
Car surfing is illegal, and drivers can face several charges if someone in their vehicle is caught car surfing. The charges include vehicular homicide, vehicular assault, reckless driving and reckless endangerment.