‘Car surfer’ is killed after climbing through the sunroof of a moving vehicle, falling off the roof and breaking his neck in South Africa
- Shocking 25-second video shows the man on top of a Volkswagen Polo in Durban
- He is reported to have broken his neck and died instantly from the fall
A man has been killed after climbing through the sunroof of a moving vehicle to car surf before falling off the roof and breaking his neck in South Africa.
The horrific 25-second video taken by a passenger in another car shows the soon-to-be victim getting onto the roof of a Volkswagen Polo in Durban.
He raised himself to his feet and pointed his arms skywards but after just five seconds he fell onto his backside and somersaulted off the back of the car to his death.
The car surfer landed head first and was reported to have broken his neck and died instantly.
Some responded with sympathy, while others said his stupidity cost him his life in over 850 comments on the website Arrive Alive as the video went viral.
On the roof of the car, the man raised himself to his feet and pointed his arms skywards but after just five seconds he fell onto his backside and somersaulted off the back to his death
As the man, who is barefoot and wearing white trousers and a maroon shirt, got to his feet on the VW Polo roof, the driver of the vehicle behind him said: ‘I don’t know what this Oke is doing.
‘He’s lost his mind, lost his mind.’
The car surfer then staggers and grabs the side of the roof before tumbling backwards off the rear of the car head first towards the road.
He hits the ground head first with an impact that caused almost certain instant death and those on the website quoting local sources said that the victim had snapped his neck.
The driver hoots his horn and says: ‘Ja I was waiting for that. I was waiting for that’.
The body of the man lies unmoving on the road following the sound of the sickening thud when his head hit the ground and the VW Polo comes to a halt thirty yards up the road.
Heather Greenway said on the website: ‘Darwin Award Champion 2023’.
Another person posted: ‘At least he’s not around anymore to pass on his idiocy to his offspring’.
The car surfer landed head first and was reported to have broken his neck and died instantly
Jenny Khoury wrote: ‘Yes it was a stupid thing to do but frankly everyone has done something dumb in our youth and fortunately have lived to tell the tale.
‘This youngster’s family are in bits and my sympathy to his family and I pray he rests in peace.’
Kellogs Ngobeni added: ‘His ancestors were calling him and he answered’.
Car surfing involves riding on the roof while another individual drives the car and has resulted in numerous deaths and serious injuries since the craze began in the 1980’s.
A study in just America in 2008 relying on newspaper cuttings showed that between 1990 and 2008 that 58 car surfers had died and 42 had suffered serious non-fatal injuries.
The South African Police Service press office said it could not trace the tragic incident that happened just in front of the Wellington Hotel in Bluff, Durban, late last week.