Teens Warned About Throwing Items from Overpasses

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Utah teens are being warned of the consequences that may occur from throwing items off overpasses after four Ohio teens facing murder charges made national news.

Deadly prank

Photo by: Doug Kerr

The four teens whose ages range from 13 to 15 years are facing murder charges after they tosses several items including sandbags from a freeway overpass, killing a passing motorist. The young teens who are not being named due to their young ages could face lengthy prison sentences if convicted. This isn’t the first times teens have unwisely chosen to drop or throw items from overpasses. In October, a group of teens from Michigan were charged with murder after they threw rocks from an overpass, killing a man. In November, a Utah teen was almost seriously injured when someone tossed a bag full of leaves from an overpass, smashing her vehicle window.

Intent or mistake
Teen don’t always have a good rap about making wise choices, especially when surrounded by their peers. Many wonder if the teens involved with throwing items from the overpass did so with malicious intent or if they just made a horrible mistake, not realizing the possible gravity in their choice (no pun intended). Did they expect the items to merely land in the road or bounce of the cars or were they actually out to do as much a damage as possible to both vehicle and human life? Regardless of what their goal was or their understanding on what could happen, the life of the victim was taken and the teens lives will be forever changed as well.

Wrong place to be
Besides the possible murder charges that could occur, teens who make the mistake of throwing items from overpasses could face charges such as of criminal mischief, damage to property, attempted assault, and conspiracy to commit murder. Parents are encouraged to warn teens about the dangers from playing dangerous pranks and remind their older kids that even their presence on an overpass is against the law (Utah Code 41-6a-1401)