SAN CLEMENTE, Calif. – Authorities say a man in Southern California riding a Christmas tree being dragged behind an SUV slammed into a parked car and was hospitalized with head injuries.
Orange County sheriff's spokesman Jim Amormino says the 18-year-old and another teenager were Christmas tree surfing, a seasonal Internet fad.
Capt. Greg McKeown says the car was going about 25 mph Sunday night when the female driver took a corner and the tree veered wide and crashed.
Amormino says the driver fled. Two SUV passengers and the other tree surfer told deputies they didn't know the girl.
Authorities did not release any names. The injured man was hospitalized with moderate head injuries. Amormino says he is expected to survive.
He warned against tree surfing, calling it a serious traffic violation.
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