A North Carolina teen was left hospitalized with severe burns on nearly 80% of his body after he attempted a TikTok challenge involving a can of spray paint and a lighter.
Mason Dark, a 16-year-old student at Heritage High School in Wake Forest, continued to recover on Saturday at the UNC Burn Center, according to local station WRAL. He was allegedly dared by a group of TikTokers to carry out an online trend using flammable aerosols to create a mini flamethrower.
Dark was attempting the dangerous challenge last weekend when the paint can exploded, causing him to become engulfed in flames, the teen’s mother said.
“They all heard a big boom, and then Mason came running out and started taking off his shirt,” Holli Dark told WRAL.
Dark jumped into a nearby river in a bid to put out the flames, but when he emerged, 76% of his body was covered in second- and third-degree burns.
“He is unrecognizable, unrecognizable,” Holli Dark added. “The way he looked when those kids saw him when he first came in, to what he looks like now, it’s 100 times different.”
The teen has already undergone several surgeries to get skin grafts. His mother said the slow healing process is like seeding a lawn.
Mason, a standout athlete and football player, has been wrapped from head to toe like a mummy, she added. He is expected to stay and recover in the burn unit for at least the next six months.
A GoFundMe has been set up by Mason’s grandmother to help pay for medical bills and other expenses.