When the news of Van Wastell’s death began circulating at the beginning of September very few details were included in the condolence stories. Now, New York Times writer Michael Brick delves into the young skateboarder’s untimely death even though it seems no one close to the 24-year-old skater is interested in talking. Here is what The Times uncovered about the tradgedy in Berlin:
On Sept. 5, Wastell was a guest at the NH Berlin-Alexanderplatz Hotel, close to the city center in the Friedrichshain quarter, according to the front-office manager, Gerd Fromm. . . . Shortly after midnight Sept. 6, a guest heard a noise outside, looked out his window and saw a man lying on the terrace, according to Klaus Schubert, a spokesman for the Berlin police. . . . “An emergency doctor came, but there was no chance to help,” Schubert said. “It must have been a window of the stairway area in the sixth floor from where he fell or jumped down.” . . . Schubert added: “The most important question, whether it was an accident or a suicide, I cannot answer at this moment.”
While nothing can be done for the sadness the entire skateboard industry feels, sometimes more details can help process the pain. Our thoughts are with the entire Wastell family.
[Link: New York Times]
