A 12-year-old boy was rushed to the hospital after police say three of his friends dumped scalding water on him in what they described as a “prank.”

The victim suffered severe second-degree burns on his face and had to have surgery. He is now recovering at his home in Tifton, Georgia.

The barbaric act reportedly occurred after a sleepover in a neighbor’s apartment while the other kids were playing video games.

A group of boys aged 12-15 are facing charges after pouring scalding water on a friend during a sleepover

Image credits: 木村　亨/stock.adobe.com (Not the actual photo)

“I mean, I really can’t describe it now. In that moment I was just mad, hurt, in shock. Everything, I was seeing red. I was just trying to hurry up and get him some help,” the boy’s mother, Tiffany West, told WALB 10 on January 1.

“He was transported to the burn center in Augusta. He had to have surgery. Of course, he is out of surgery and is recovering at home now. But it is going to take him 12-14 days to heal,” West continued.

The three boys, aged 12-15, are facing serious charges.

Image credits: Getty Images/ Unsplash (Not the actual photo)

The burn center in Augusta is approximately 200 miles (320 km) from the family’s home.

Due to the extensive distance, the boy’s parents have had to stop working. 

“My brother and Tiffany have been out of work since this happened with all the traveling. She is still gonna be out of work to take care of him while he is recovering,” said Nachelle, West’s sister.

“She needs to be here for him. Mentally, he is gonna have to get counseling to be able to trust people again.”

The 12-year-old was hospitalized and had to undergo surgery after suffering second-degree burns

Image credits: WALB News 10

Image credits: WALB News 10

The victim’s family faces substantial medical bills and is seeking justice for the ordeal.

“You got to be in shock to know your friends are capable of doing this to you. Like somebody you trusted, it’s just horrible,” the boy’s aunt added.

“He never thought something like this would happen to him.”

The Tifton, Georgia, boy is recovering at home, a process that will take 12-14 weeks, according to his mother

Image credits: WALB News 10

The three friends have since been released to their families and are awaiting their hearing, which is scheduled to take place in a month.

Sadly, this isn’t the first case of a “prank gone wrong” leading to a victim’s hospitalization. In 2016, a 15-year-old boy named Jamie Cox underwent emergency surgery after suffering a fractured skull in high school.

The student, from Palm Beach, Australia, had reportedly been put in a headlock that caused him to lose consciousness and collapse on the ground.

The incident was allegedly part of a “choking game” called “tap out” where one person causes the other to lose consciousness for a short period of time.

Image credits: TM Partners

Cox was rushed to hospital after he passed out and hit his head on the ground. 

“I honestly thought he was gone. If this is a playground game, I would just urge students to reconsider because the consequences could be disastrous. It’s got to be stopped,” the teen’s father, Rodney, said.

“My belief is that it was a case of one kid doing something stupid to another kid.”

The “blackout challenge” has been blamed for several deaths of teens and children in the world.

More recently, in 2022, a 22-year-old man named Conner Groom died in Essex, England, after being shoved onto a safety net by a friend and landing on his head.

Image credits: WALB News 10

According to the BBC, Groom and his group had been “drinking heavily,” and he had pushed one of his friends prior to the fatal incident. They were at Topgolf, where staff had repeatedly warned them to stop “messing around.”

Groom’s foot became momentarily stuck on the net as he fell, leaving him with “no control whatsoever over how he landed,” an inquest in Chelmsford heard.

His friend was reportedly arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm without intent, but the charges were later dropped.

“Any kid over 6 knows that’s not a prank,” a reader commented

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