'Jackass' Stunt Kills Teenager

[bloodrayne]

Teen Dies During Car Stunt

West Rutland, Vermont — A Shrewsbury teenager, who police said was trying to imitate a stunt from the MTV television show "Jackass," was killed Sunday evening when he jumped from the car he was driving.

Vermont State Police said Monday afternoon they are treating the death of Adam E. Page, 19, as an "apparent accident."

Page, his friend, Adam Cota, 18, and two other unnamed "area juveniles" were "executing a pre-planned 'stunt,' which they said was an attempt to be like the MTV show, 'Jackass,'" according to a police press release.

Police said during the stunt, Page was driving a 1995 Subaru Legacy station wagon around 6 p.m. Sunday.

Police said Page was driving about 30 mph south on Quarterline Road in West Rutland when he turned on the car's cruise control, opened the driver's side door, and intentionally jumped from the vehicle while it was still moving.

Page's body immediately struck the pavement, rolled and came to a rest in the road, police said. Cota, who police said had been filming the stunt while seated in the front passenger seat, then grabbed the steering wheel to gain control of the car, police said.

The other two unnamed juveniles were seated in the back of the vehicle, one of them also taping the stunt while hanging out the driver's side rear window, police said.

Police said Cota was immediately able to turn the vehicle around, and drive back to the spot where Page's body was in the road. Police said Page was "unresponsive" and the teenagers called for an ambulance.

Police said Page was taken by Regional Ambulance Service and died while on the way to Rutland Regional Medical Center.

Detective Sgt. Daniel Elliott, who is handling the investigation, could not be reached Monday for comment.

A press release issued by State Police said the incident remained under investigation.

Page's family declined to comment Monday night, saying that it was too soon for them to be comfortable speaking about their son's death.

A person answering the phone at Cota's home Monday evening in Chippenhook said Cota did not want to comment.

The now-defunct daredevil television show, "Jackass," which also spawned a movie, featured disclaimers urging viewers not to mimic the program's crude stunts or send in videotapes of acts seeking to broadcast them.

Newspaper accounts from across the country attribute several incidents involving property damage, injuries resulting from accidents and even deaths of young people from attempts to imitate stunts shown on the TV program.

An Associated Press article from 2002 reported on the death of an 18-year-old Ohio boy who set a chair on fire and threw it from the back of a moving truck while friends filmed the stunt.

Authorities said the man either jumped or fell from the truck. He died the next day from head injuries suffered in the fall.

Rutland State's Attorney James Mongeon said Monday afternoon that Page's body was sent to the state Chief Medical Examiner's Office in Burlington for an autopsy. The prosecutor said he expected to be briefed Tuesday on the cause of Page's death.

Mongeon said he couldn't say if alcohol had been involved in the incident, adding that toxicology testing of Page's body would take place. It could take several weeks for the results to be available.

The prosecutor also talked about the dangers of trying to imitate dangerous stunts.

"In many instances people will see things on television and there'll be a disclaimer that will say don't try this at home," Mongeon said. "Some people don't follow disclaimers. Obviously doing something, which just on the face seems very dangerous, oftentimes is."

Page had been working at Rutland Regional Medical Center in the Environment Services Department.

Surviving are his parents Thomas and Stevia Page of Shrewsbury, and a brother, Christopher Page, also of Shrewsbury, as well as several aunts, uncles and cousins.

Both Cota and Page graduated in June from Mill River Union High School in North Clarendon.

Page's yearbook photo shows him lying on the school's bleachers. He was wearing a hooded sweatshirt with backpack slung over shoulder and a sly smile on his face.

His listed nicknames included, "Conan the Rubarian," "the good doctor" and "Random Hero."

He wrote that among the students he hung around with was Cota, who was nicknamed, "Cotaslaw."

Peter Wallett, Mill River assistant principal, said Monday afternoon that counselors were available for students and faculty at the school throughout the day.

"He's a very bright young man. He was a good student," Wallett said of Page. "It's just a tragic thing to happen."

Donald Markie, a guidance counselor at Mill River, remembered Page as an intelligent young man who loved music and making videos — which Page studied during his junior year at the Stafford Technical Center in Rutland.

"His wheels and his mind were always on the go. He was always thinking and planning," Markie said. "He had a respectful way of questioning many things. He didn't take things at face value He always wanted to know why about things going on around him."

Markie and social studies teacher Margie Congdon both said Page could be somewhat reserved at first, but very close to those he opened up to.

"He was always traveling with a merry band of young men and women with similar interest," Markie said "They were always having a lot of fun together. Page was very gentle, kind and thoughtful and he clearly had a very creative mindset."

To gentle, kind and thoughtful, Congdon added that Page was also considerate.

"Adam was one of a kind," she said. "He could be very articulate. His vocabulary was amazing for a young man."

Congdon added that she believed that Page was working for a year or two trying to save up money to go to college for photography or video production.

"He was a very hard-working young man," she said. "I've been thinking about him all day. He was always willing to step in and help if something needed to be done, but at the same time he could be quiet and reserved."

Page wrote of his future plans in the high school yearbook:

"One year partying,

2 yrs work,

traveling,

full sail then … the world!"

The high school's class of 2005 was hit hard by tragedy, including the death of another classmate in car crash just days before their senior year started.

Class president Steven Querrey touched on the subject during the school's graduation ceremony in June.

"The hardships we've been made to endure have made us stronger and we've come together in more ways than we thought possible," Querrey said. "We've opened up to each other in ways no other class ever has and, I hope, no other class ever will."

[X¤MurderDoll¤X]

Originally posted by bloodrayne

"He was a very bright young man."

uhhhh

[scaryminda15]

if he was so bright why did he do that stunt

[noctuary]

I feel callous saying this, but I think we have a Darwin Award winner here.

I have a little trouble finding the tragedy when a person's foolish actions lead directly to their demise.

[ItsAlive75]

Originally posted by bloodrayne
His listed nicknames included, "Conan the Rubarian," "the good doctor" and "Random Hero."

He wrote that among the students he hung around with was Cota, who was nicknamed, "Cotaslaw."

The boys were known throughout the school as "the worst nicknamers ever".

[slasherman]

..hmm again...

[aborted]

Originally posted by noctuary
I feel callous saying this, but I think we have a Darwin Award winner here.

I have a little trouble finding the tragedy when a person's foolish actions lead directly to their demise.

Agreed.

[moonsorrow]

if they were tyring to imitate those fucks then i say that asshole had it coming, good riddance... genetic scess pools should be terminated emediatley so they dont have a chance to breed.

[X¤MurderDoll¤X]

Originally posted by moonsorrow
if they were tyring to imitate those fucks then i say that asshole had it coming, good riddance... genetic scess pools should be terminated emediatley so they dont have a chance to breed.

I knew I wasn't crazy.

[Maerlyn]

Originally posted by X¤MurderDoll¤X
uhhhh

No, you are not alone. He is 18 years old, either.

If you risk your life (should i say "like a fool" ? ), no one can blame no one.