Skylar Fish, 14, Nearly Dies During Duct Tape Challenge

YouTube challenges are some of the most inexplicable of the viral internet fads that have risen in the past few years, from the famous cinnamon challenge to the lesser known tea bag challenge (where people try to eat the contents of a tea bag–without water). More recently, a fad called the “Duct Tape Challenge” has gone viral, with many of the videos reaching millions of views. These videos feature friends (sometimes couples) taping each other to chairs (or each other). The object of the challenge is to break free of the duct tape. But one attempt at this seemingly harmless challenge resulted in a 14-year-old boy in Washington nearly losing his life.

Skylar Fish had taken the duct tape challenge before. But this time, instead of being wrapped to a pole or a bush, Fish was wrapped in duct tape while standing up. The silly challenge quickly became a very serious incident when Fish lost his balance and slammed his head into a window frame. From the window frame, Fish fell onto the concrete floor and began to gush blood. According to Skylar’s Recovery Challenge Fund, this caused Fish to have an aneurysm. Fish’s friends immediately called 911, which KCPQ reports, saved Fish’s life.

“If he would have hit on it differently, an inch over, he could have died,” his mother, Sarah Fish, told KCPQ. “If his friend didn’t flip him over when he was having a seizure and choking up blood, he could have died.”

Doctors compared his injuries to those of car crash victims.

A surveillance tape at school confirms that this was an accident, showing how a goofy internet challenge can still be dangerous. Fish’s cheekbone and eye socket were crushed. Although his brain surgery was successful, he many never regain sight in that eye again and will spend the next few weeks relearning basic everyday tasks in their rehabilitation center.

“He’s happy to be alive,” said Fish’s mother.

See an example of the Challenge here: