Disfigured body, 80% burns: Dangerous TikTok challenge leaves US teen ‘unrecognizable’

After the viral Benadryl trend on TikTok claimed the life of a boy from the United State’s Ohio, a similar challenge left a 16-year-old boy with third degree burns. A TikTok challenge went horribly wrong when a group of teens in North Carolina tried to create a makeshift torch using a spray paint can and a lighter, The New York Post reported.

The TikTok challenge triggered an explosion and left the 16-year-old boy, Mason Dark, severely disfigured with burns covering nearly 80% of his body, the report said. His mother, Holli Dark, said her son is now unrecognisable.

Mason Dark and his friends from Wake Forest were trying the trend when the can of spray paint he was holding exploded with a huge bang, consuming him in flames.

Attempting to soothe the burns in a nearby river only made his condition worse. He emerged with charred skin. The teenager suffered a T-shaped third-degree burn on his back from ripping off the flaming shirt, and is at high risk of infection from the river water.

He was immediately taken to the hospital where he remains in the UNC Burn Center and is expected to be there for at least six months. On April 26, Mason went into surgery to get skin grafts to start the long healing process.

Mason was rushed to the UNC Burn Center with burns covering 76% of his body, his mother told the New York Post.

He has already undergone several surgeries to receive skin grafts. His mother said the process is slow, but they are hopeful that his skin will heal over time.

The boy’s grandmother also set up a GoFundMe page on his behalf.

A note by his mother reads, ”My son Mason, needs your prayers. 75% of his body is burned. The accident occurred on the afternoon of Sunday, April 23, 2023.

He jumped into a river to extinguish the flames. The risk of infection from the river water is high, on top of having 2nd and 3rd-degree burns. We are thankful to be at the UNC Burn Center in Chapel Hill.

It is one of the top in the nation. Mason has a long road ahead of him. Please pray for his recovery. He is in an incredible amount of pain and is sedated.” source