Teen's Death Exposes Dangers of 'Car Surfing'

Shana Chavez, 16, fell while riding on an SUV's back bumper
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 12, 2015 7:13 AM CDT
Teen's Death Exposes Dangers of 'Car Surfing'
Shana Chavez pictured here.   (GoFundMe)

A family is warning about the dangers of "car surfing" after a 16-year-old died in Iowa. Shana Chavez had just gotten off work at a Theisen's farm supply store last Friday when she and another girl hopped on the back bumper of an SUV while a 17-year-old male drove around the parking lot. At some point, Shana fell from the vehicle, NBC News reports. Cedar Rapids police found Shana with serious injuries around 9:30pm, reports KWWL, and she later died at a hospital. "She got off work like 15 minutes [before] and then you know, made one mistake," says sister Chevelle. Police initially told KWWL they were investigating whether anyone should be charged in the case, but they now say they aren't looking for anyone involved.

"When you consider that we require that people be belted inside the car for their safety, standing on the roof of the car, on the hood, or on the back bumper while a vehicle is moving is extremely dangerous," an officer says. "Car surfing can turn deadly with just one wrong movement by the driver or the person riding." "Be smart. Learn from this experience, learn from all this pain we're going through now," Chevelle adds. "Hit a roller coaster or something," a local parent says. A GoFundMe page, set up to help with funeral expenses, describes Shana as a girl who loved the outdoors, "loved her family and friends with all of her heart and would do anything for someone in need." (Earlier this year, a woman was killed by her own empty car.)

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