NORTH PORT - Police said a Charlotte High School freshman died from injuries sustained in a "car surfing" stunt.
Chris Trowbridge, 15, died Monday at All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg, police said Tuesday.
North Port police Chief David Yurchuck said Trowbridge apparently was lying on the roof of a vehicle as it sped through a sparsely populated area of North Port on Friday. A 17-year-old senior was driving, and three girls were passengers.
Yurchuck said the boy asked a 14-year-old girl to take the wheel, then climbed onto the roof with Trowbridge. During the exchange, the vehicle accelerated, went out of control and rolled, the chief said.
The boys were thrown off the roof. The 17-year-old and the three girls suffered minor injuries.
Last month, a Brandon teenager died when thrown from a car in a similar accident. The 21-year-old driver was charged with manslaughter.
Yurchuck said police will focus their investigation on the actions of the boy and girl drivers. One or both could face vehicular homicide charges, he said.
Car surfers hang on to or stand on top of moving vehicles, as though they are surfing. The stunt has been cited in deaths around the world.
