Featured Image Credit: YouTube/Matteo Di Pietro/Rome Police
Topics: World News, YouTube, Cars
Rhiannon Ingle
Topics: World News, YouTube, Cars
A five-year-old has been killed as YouTubers crash a Lamborghini they were driving for a 50-hour challenge video.
The tragic incident took place last week (14 June) in a suburb in Rome, Italy, when the five-year-old was travelling as a passenger in a Smart ForFour car.
The child, named locally as Manuel Proietti, was sat in the vehicle when it was struck by the Lamborghini Urus SUV.
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The child's 29-year-old mother and four-year-old sister, who were also in the car at the time, were injured in the collision.
The Lamborghini was being used for a video by YouTubers TheBorderline in which drivers were challenged to cruise for 50 hours without stopping, according to Italian police. The channel is led by Matteo Di Pietro.
Four people were in the Lamborghini at the time of the crash, aged between 20 and 23.
The devastating stunt crash took place in Casal Palocco with the road having a 30km/h (18mph) speed limit
Authorities have not yet revealed how fast the Lambo was driving at the point of impact.
The child later died at the Grassi di Ostia after the doctors' desperate attempts to save his life, Italy 24 News reports.
The ordeal has since led to anger and utter outrage over people using social media to broadcast such reckless and irresponsible stunts.
TheBorderline's YouTube channel currently has more than 600k subscribers.
The social media company has offices near the Vatican and reportedly earned nearly €200,000 (around $218,000) last year alone from ad revenue generated by filming and posting viral online challenges.
Just yesterday (19 June), TheBorderline took to YouTube to share a statement on the matter.
It was titled: "14/06/2023".
The translated statement reads: "TheBorderline express to the family the most sincere and deepest pain.
"What happened has left everyone marked with a deep wound, nothing will ever be the same again."
It continued: "The idea of TheBorderline was to offer young people entertainment with a wholesome spirit.
"The tragedy that happened is so profound that it makes it morally impossible for us to continue this path."
The post concluded: "Therefore, TheBorderline group stops all activity with this last message.
"Our only thought is for Manuel."
Meanwhile, Di Pietro's lawyer and uncle Francesco Consalvi denied allegations that the crash was caused by the Lamborghini undertaking a reckless manoeuvre, and claimed the vehicle was travelling between 60 and 80 km per hour (37-50 mph).
The driver of the vehicle is currently under investigation for causing a death by dangerous driving.