Comment

Comment by Jack Smith on September 8, 2009 at 7:20am

Hey Josh, tell us more about your crash.

Comment by Joshua Cummings on September 8, 2009 at 7:15am

My life was saved by my helmet yesterday. (Now, I only wish I were wearing the rest of my gear!!lol)

Comment by Rich Sayers on September 5, 2009 at 9:48am

To realistically start a trend of more skaters wearing safety gear, the only way I can imagine it working, would be for a couple of the best young skaters to start wearing helmets all or most of the time AND having the magazines publish photos of them doing that. Then young people who are "on the fence" between their desire to avoid brain injury and their desire to conform and "look cool" may jump off the fence onto the more mature side of "I'm protecting my brain, elbows, knees, wrists."

Even older skaters like Stevie Caballero and Christian Hosoi, who often wear helmets and have children and wives they love dearly, are photographed skating without helmets some times. I hope they may decide to set an example of caution and erring on the side of safety in the future.

Comment by Erick 'Panda' Mattos on September 1, 2009 at 10:33pm

You all have awesome points :) Enjoyed reading all your posts. It's common sense peeps, some people get hit cause they're trying to skitch, some people, lets face it, it's easier to see someone walking, then having someone fly through a section of a road. You have more control while walking, there's bike accidents all the time cause of the street thing.
My uncle was killed by a driver, if my memory serves me correct, the dude wasn't even drunk. He was on a damn bike turning on an intersection.
Shat happens...but about the skateparks and all that, it's a great idea but what if these kids were skating TOO a skatepark? Anyways, no idea what to add to this, I just know skating is growing, but we need to be more aware while skating then most of us are. When your skating, your pretty much a biker, except we take more risks.

Comment by Tom Loveless Helmets In Hands on August 28, 2009 at 2:10am

I hear excuses from kids and adults all the time about not wearing a helmet, and truth of the matter I had an excuses for the one near fatal time that I didn't wear my helmet. Regardless of skill level an accident may or may not take place while riding a skateboard, just like riding a bike or driving a car accidents happen, difference is accidents are tolerated in about everything including a car wreck.

Even if you give some one a helmet you still have commitment issues with them wearing it regularly. My idea and it's been working is to build value in progression and by example. Arrange multiple helmet skaters to travel to a park together earlier then the rush of kids. By doing so the riders are more then warmed up and are flowing through the park effortlessly.This builds trust and leads by example, kids and adults just arriving will be more motivated by there skill therefore allowing for the helmet image to just be accepted and not ridiculed. Going this Saturday with 6 helmet wearing adults and 4 helmet wearing kids, leading by example and getting other skaters committed to helmet safety.

Comment by Jeremy Coffman on August 26, 2009 at 8:06pm

I've been waiting for these sort of accidents to start rising. I'm afraid it is only going to get worse.

I do see more kids wearing helmets than I ever have before. Serious longboarders seem to really take to wearing helmets. So hopefully that trend will continue and carry over to other forms of skateboarding. Now if we could see some more innovation in helmet design. Increased airflow would be nice.

Visibility needs to be increased. Maybe something as simple as making skate t-shirts using bright colors. Bring out the day-glow. Don't make an issue about the safety aspect. Just use those color shirts when printing t-shirts. Make it cool to wear because everyone wants to wear the logo or skate graphic. Skaters are going to buy skate t-shirts. Maybe this could be a way to make them more visible to drivers and such.

I could spiel on and on but with no real answers.

Comment by Bob Harper on August 26, 2009 at 6:14pm

I always feel bad when this happens. A month ago some Salt Lake longboarders were on the local news trying to get their rights back to skate a bike path, witch was shut down due to sk8ers colliding in to cyclists and hikers. The sk8ers that were interviewed brought up great issues in out favor, but not one of them were wearing safety gear.I'm sure unfortunately a lot of these accidents are due to stupidity of the sk8er. If you are going to sk8 hills or near traffic and pedestrians. Use your head, Know your limits, stay away from heavy traffic most divers freak out on sk8ers and don't have the time to fallow a rider down a hill. the majority of motorists will pass you. Know how to stop. All ways wear Safety Gear. Just stay away from heavy traffic.

Comment by Stephen Lavin on August 26, 2009 at 8:14am

This is bothersome for sure. I cannot say that this is good news however when incidents like this increase it is likely due to or related to an increase in ridership. There are always summer peaks but if there is a trend that is greater than the riding public increase (population) then the sport is catching on - again.

What to do about it? Safety and awareness. Starts at the top like with Pro's, etc. Nothing I hate more than to see Reebok, Nike, and other famous brands sponsoring XGames and organized street skate comps with competitors that are NOT wearing safety equipment. This is just plan stupid and extremely and professionally irresponsible.

Sure hard to sell cool with full body armor but the kids get to keep their teeth and their lives. What's worse? Nike employing kids in Pakistan for $.25/hour or sponmsoring death matches in the US?

LAVIN

Was watching a competition on TV last weekend. Great skaters all ages. Not one was wearing any safety equipment. Jumping rails, etc.

Comment by Wallace Sueyoshi on August 25, 2009 at 9:46pm

Jack:
I'm gonna add my thoughts:

I grew up skating downhill and slalom, along with freestyle. Banks and pools weren't the big deal yet; the first issue of Skateboarder I bought was the Dec. 1975 issue with Denis Schufeldt on the cover. As a kid, I though nothing about setting up cones or bombing down a good downhill course in a residential neighborhood.. Mind you, I had the foolishness of youth, and didn't even thnk about the thought of being plastered by a car. I did get a ticket for going 45+ in the same neighborhood. This was in the mid 1970s, I assummed I could outrun the cars since I had done it before.

Now, there is no way I would set up cones or run downhill in my childhood neighborhood. The roads are still paved nicely, but there are way too way crazy drivers, and the cars people drive these days resemble tanks.

At the last Morro Bay contest, I was talking to Richy and Maria with a few friends, and this idea came up. I know the price of real estate is ridiculous, but what if someone had the funding to create a skatepark that is pretty much a ski resort for skateboarders? Yeah, you would have to buy a lift ticket to skate the various runs, but at least you won't have to worry about getting run over by a motor vehicle. Just a thought: Thanks for listening.

SJWALL-e

Comment by Monique LeBlanc on August 25, 2009 at 9:30pm

It is always unfortunate every time someone dies so young ....But.... those accidents all happened on roadways, shared with cars, and o'yeah- were all in the DARK! Under those conditions not even a helmet would have made a differance.

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