A video showing a girl being hit on the head with a shovel has gone viral this week. And, in typical internet fashion, a fake report of the girl’s death almost immediately followed.
The Video
Altercation videos are popular on Vine, and the latest video to spread like wildfire features a fight between two girls in which one is hit on the head with a shovel as she flees. The girl falls to the pavement and turns to look toward the camera as she holds her head. The original video has since been removed from Vine.
Fake Death Story
Only a day after the video went viral, a fake news story about the girl’s death began circulating. This “satire” piece from Huzlers.com reads:
Miranda Lockwood died of serious head injuries after being hit with a shovel in the head by an old friend of hers named Emily Powers. The whole thing was caught on video and posted all over the internet and generated around 500,000 video views in just 2 days.
The story about the death of “shovel girl” is not real, as it was posted by a fake news website. The person who filmed the now-famous video posted a follow-up video with a caption of “Shovel girl(; I’m doing alright!! #shovel.”
Screen Capture: Vine / Josh OfficerA second follow-up video by the Vine user who posted the original video addressed the death hoax directly. He stated:
“Before these rumors get out of control, Miranda is not dead… she’s alive.”
That video has also since been removed.
About Huzler’s
Huzler’s description states, “Huzlers.com is a combination of real shocking news and satire news to keep its visitors in a state of disbelief.” The website appeared in late 2013 with fake stories about Sharkeisha, who appeared in a viral YouTube video. More recently another fake Huzler’s story went viral which reported the death of Vine star Bryan Silva, along with a fictional piece about Lil Terio being injured.
Related: Why fake news is big business.
Bottom Line
The Vine video featuring a girl hit on the head with a shovel has received significant sharing this week. Reports that the girl died due to head injuries are not true, having originated from a fake news website.