Boy, 18, dies after sticking head through car sunroof

01 October 2023 , 11:57

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Police were called to the car park after the teen struck his head on a concrete beam (Image: Global News)

An 18-year-old has died in a shocking accident after sticking his head through the sunroof of the car he was in and hitting a concrete beam.

Edmonton Police in Canada said the teenager had been travelling in a Toyota Camry in the parking lot at the West Edmonton Mall when the accident happened on Thursday, September 28. As the car passed under a ramp, he struck his head against a concrete beam. Officers were called to the car park with a welfare call and arrived with emergency medical services (EMS).

The teen was rushed to hospital but later died from his injuries. The boy, who has not been named, was in the car with a 17-year-old male who had been driving and a 15-year-old female passenger. Neither reported any injuries in the incident.

The teen struck his head on a concrete beam while passing underneath a ramp (Global News)

In a statement, the force said they were called at 1.45pm to the north car park at West Edmonton Mall. They said: "It was reported to police that a Toyota Camry sedan was travelling through the parade when an adult male passenger stood up through the sunroof of the sedan. As the vehicle was passing underneath a ramp, the passenger struck a concrete beam. EMS responded, treated and transported the 18-year-old male passenger to hospital; however, he succumbed to his injuries."

Edmonton Police's Major Collision Investigation Section is investigating the incident. However, police said: "Speed and impairment are not believed to be factors in this collision." Investigators are now asking anyone who witnessed the freak accident, or has dashcam footage to get in contact with them.

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West Edmonton Mall is the second largest shopping centre in North America behind the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota. It attracts 32 million visitors each year, making it the second most visited in Canada. It has a roller coaster, tropical rainforest and an indoor bungee jump as well as an indoor waterpark.

West Edmonton Mall is the second largest mall in North America complete with an indoor waterpark (Getty Images)

The mall has more than 800 stores with 20 restaurants, more stores than the Mall of America which has 520. It also has two hotels on-site and parking for more than 20,000 vehicles. West Edmonton Mall opened its doors to the public on September 15, 1981. It had been developed in four phases completed in 1981, 1983, 1985 and 1999. Until 2004 it held the title as the largest indoor shopping area in the world.

The teen's death isn't the first at the mall. On June 14, 1986, three people died and one person was injured after one of the rear cars of the indoor roller coaster, The Mindbender, derailed from the track and slammed into a nearby concrete pillar.

A 22-year-old man also drowned at the mall in the recreational lagoon on December 23, 2000. A man matching his description was seen swimming at around 2.30am as the nearby bars had closed. A security check didn't find anyone in the lagoon area, but the man's body was found at around 10.30am that morning, fully clothed except for his shoes and jacket - which were never located. He is believed to have accidentally drowned while under the influence of alcohol and cannabis.

Fiona Leishman