A 16-year-old boy from North Carolina was severely disfigured and left with nearly 80% of his body covered in burns due to a TikTok challenge gone horribly wrong.
Engulfed in fire, the teenagers were devoured by a blast that was set off by Mason Dark and his companions fashioning an improvised torch using a can of spray paint and a lighter.
“He’s indistinguishable. Indistinguishable,” his mother, Holli
Engaging in a perilous TikTok trend in which individuals on social media utilize combustible sprays to construct small-scale flamethrowers, the adolescents from Wake Forest, a town located approximately 17 miles northeast of Raleigh.
Instead of extinguishing the fire, the can burst open.
“They all heard a loud explosion. And then Mason emerged and began removing his shirt,” Dark recounted.
Mason jumped into a nearby river to alleviate the burns, but came out with scorched skin.
The adolescent endured a T-shaped severe burn on his posterior from tearing off the blazing garment, and is at great susceptibility to contamination from the stream water. Both actions ultimately exacerbated his state.
Mason’s mother said that he was quickly taken to the UNC Burn Center after sustaining burns that covered 76% of his body.
Dark exclaimed, “Times have changed significantly, it is as if he appears completely different now compared to the first time he saw those kids and the way he used to look at them.”
Mason has already undergone several surgeries to receive skin grafts. Dark told her that her son’s skin heals slowly, likening it to seeding a lawn and seeing the results.
The burn center anticipates that the next half-year will be spent by the teenager, who is an extremely energetic football player and track runner.