Two-Year-Old Suffers Broken Neck In 'Sideshow' Related Crash

Two-year-old Corey Abrams is recovering from disc fusion surgery after he fell victim to a growing dangerous car tred: A "sideshow."

Sideshows happen when a group of drivers block highway traffic with their vehicles, and then start doing donuts in the middle of the road. The sideshow that injured Corey took place in the middle of the night near Oakland, Calif., and resulted in a major crash when a tractor trailer didn't realize traffic ahead of the truck had come to a sudden stop. The trailer hit the car Corey was in, and slammed into the vehicle.

The two-year-old suffered serious injuries, including a broken neck, KGO reported.

"After the big rig hit us we spinned out of control and then we ended up hitting another car and after stopped we were the facing the oncoming traffic," Corey's mother Jasmine told KGO. "And I got out by climbing through the back door on the driver's side and good Samaritans came and helped us out and everything."

Corey is currently recovering and will have to stay at the hospital until he is able to walk on his own. He will have to wear a brace for three months.

Police have not found the drivers responsible for this particular sideshow.

Many times, these illegal sideshows take place in vacant lots for a group of spectators. But bolder drivers have begun shutting down traffic on major roads, as was the case in the Abrams crash.

The video below gives an idea of how these can stop traffic.

Sideshows are most popular in the San Francisco and Oakland areas and have been increasing in regularity since they hit their peak in 2005, when police received around 700 complaints about the activity, according to the Silicon Valley Mercury News.

Drivers caught participating in sideshows can face stiff penalties, such as having their cars impounded, fines and even jail terms. The problem is that local police forces often lack the bandwidth to enforce the law.