Teen who crashed car while blindfolded was doing the "Bird Box challenge"

"Bird Box" Challenge inspires copycats to post blindfolded stunts on social media

A teenage driver in Layton, Utah, crashed her car while wearing a blindfold – a stunt inspired by the Netflix movie "Bird Box"

"Bird Box Challenge while driving...predictable result," the Layton Police Department tweeted on Friday. "This happened on Monday as a result of the driver covering her eyes while driving on Layton Parkway. Luckily no injuries."

The blindfolded driver was a 17-year-old girl, and there was another 16-year-old in the car at the time of the crash, Lt. Travis Lyman of the Layton Police Department told CBS News.

The department tweeted photos of two cars involved in the crash – one was a pickup truck with the front bumper bent, the other was a smaller vehicle with the entire driver's side crushed. 

Earlier this month, Netflix warned viewers not to replicate the movie, in which a mother and her children wear blindfolds to escape a sinister force that turns anyone who sees it suicidal. The movie was a smash hit, with over 45 million viewers streaming it in its first week, according to Netflix.

The movie inspired internet copycats to take on the "Bird Box challenge," in which people filmed themselves doing everyday tasks blindfolded. The game is as viral as it is dangerous. 

"Can't believe I have to say this, but: PLEASE DO NOT HURT YOURSELVES WITH THIS BIRD BOX CHALLENGE," Netflix tweeted on January 2. "We don't know how this started, and we appreciate the love, but Boy and Girl have just one wish for 2019 and it is that you not end up in the hospital due to memes."

Fortunately, no one was injured in the Layton, Utah, crash, a representative at the police department told CBS News. But others might not be so lucky with such a dangerous stunt.

CBS News correspondent Jamie Yuccas reported last week that while many of the examples posted on social media appear to have been done for laughs, some carry more risk. One woman nearly burned herself on a heater, a boy repeatedly crashed into furniture with his tricycle, and a blindfolded toddler slammed into a wall. 

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