by The Editors on May 3, 2023
It’s been a while, but it seems skateboard towing deaths will never go away. The family of Liam McGuire, a 16-year-old skateboarder from Manlius, New York, won’t be the same after he hung on to the side of his best friend’s car and fell, hitting his head. He died four days later on Saturday, April 29, 2023.
Liam touched many people. Family and friends gathered Sunday at a vigil in the neighborhood to share stories about him. That’s where one woman shared how Liam spent hours teaching her to snowboard. . . Liam’s best friend was driving the car that Liam was holding on to when he fell. Liam’s family said the friend and his family stopped by the hospital several times.
Horrible reminder that skateboard towing rarely ends well. Don’t do it.
[Link: Syracuse.com]
by The Editors on October 4, 2017
On Friday, September 29, 2017 Dallas Swogger, 16, of Canton, Ohio grabbed on to the side of a moving car while on his skateboard and unfortunately it ended as it so often does with skateboard towing, according to a story the Akron Beacon Journal.
Dallas, a freshman at the McKinley High School Downtown Campus, was trying to hold onto a car when he lost control of his skateboard and hit his head on the pavement.
He was taken to the hospital and four days later he died. Our thoughts are with Swogger’s family and friends.
[Link: Akron Beacon Journal]
by The Editors on January 13, 2016
We’ve strayed away from skateboard towing posts lately, but sadly it is still happening. Richard Oates, a 32-year-old father of two who opened East River Skate Shop last summer with his wife, died on Tuesday, January 12, 2016 after falling skateboarding while hanging on to the side of a truck, according to a story on The Gothamist.
Oates was riding his skateboard on Tuesday afternoon (January 12, 20160), gripping the passenger side of a green Mack truck as it drove west on Delancey, according to a preliminary NYPD investigation. Shortly after 1:15 p.m., Oates fell off of his skateboard and was run over by the truck’s rear passenger-side wheels. EMS responded to the corner of Norfolk Street and transported Oates to Bellevue Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Our thoughts are with Oates’ family, friends, and especially his wife Marrisa and their two young children.
[Link: Gothamist]
by The Editors on September 26, 2013
Eighteen-year-old skateboarder Alexander Ciszerski died today (Thursday, September 26, 2013) in Queens, New York after the 2005 GMC box truck he was towing along side ran over him after he fell, according to a story in the New York Post.
Ciszewski . . . rode his skateboard up to a white 2005 GMC box truck around 11 a.m. and grabbed the passenger side of door as the vehicle headed east on 47th Avenue near 33rd Street in Sunnyside, cops said. . . Suddenly, Ciszewski lost control and fell under the back wheels of the truck, police sources said.
Anyone who has grabbed on to a car while skateboarding knows how quickly things can go wrong (click here for more examples). Our thoughts are with Ciszerski’s family and friends.
[Link: NY Post]
by The Editors on March 7, 2011
An 18-year-old skateboarder from West Travis County, Texas died Saturday afternoon (March 5, 2011) after he fell while skateboard towing, according to a story on KXAN.com.
A spokesman with the sheriff’s office says the incident happened shortly after 1:30 p.m. in the 4900 block of Cypress Ranch Boulevard. Investigators say the teen was holding onto the back of a truck while riding his skateboard uphill when he somehow lost control and fell.
The skateboarder was flown to University Medical Center Brackenridge where he was pronounced dead. Our thoughts are with the man’s family and friends.
[Link: KXAN.com]
by The Editors on July 3, 2010
On June 12, 2010 a 17-year-old Nova Scotia skateboarder allegedly grabbed on to the side of Toyota RAV 4 towing along while another 17-year-old was behind the wheel. Now, nearly a month later one teen is dead (the skateboarder died on June 23, 2010 from serious head injuries) and another is charged with criminal negligence, according to a story on CBC.ca.
“We know that the person that was on the skateboard was somehow clinging on to the vehicle and at some point in time an incident took place and the person on the skateboard must have fallen,” MacDonald said Friday.
After all this it is amazing to us that skateboarding videos still show skaters getting towed into things.
[Link: CBC.CA]
by The Editors on June 4, 2010
A 17-year-old skateboarder died from injuries he suffered while towing behind a truck Thrusday, June 3, 2010 in Northwest Regina, Saskatchewan, according to a story on Global TV Edmonton.
Around 10 p.m. Regina police responded to a call about a 17-year-old male who was receiving emergency medical treatment after falling from a skateboard. The incident happened on Wadge Street and Wellband Drive. . . A preliminary police investigation indicates the teen was holding onto or being towed by a vehicle before he fell. The act is known at “skitching”.
Our thoughts are with the skateboarders family and friends. But seriously, how many kids have to die?
[Link: Global TV Edmonton]
by The Editors on September 19, 2008
Christian Moothart, the 17 year old who was driving the car that Joseph Madison was skateboarding behind when he died, has been sentenced to 60 hours of community service on reckless endangerment charges.
. . . 16-year-old Joseph Madison (pictured) was “skitching,” hanging onto the car on his skateboard. The car driven by Moothart hit a dip in the road when Madison lost his grip, fell and hit his head on the pavement. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
It sad on all side, but we’re glad Moothart didn’t have to go to jail.
[Link: NWCN.com]
by The Editors on February 17, 2008
Camas, Washington:
A young man skateboarding behind a friend’s car was run over in Camas Friday, police said.
The 19-year-old grabbed onto his friend’s car as it started to move, near the intersection of 3rd and Lon. But then, the young man lost his grip, fell and was run over by the car, according to Sgt. Doug Morcross with the Camas Police Department.
If John Cardiel can’t do it, then nobody can.
[Link: KGW.com]
by The Editors on March 1, 2019
News, dog. News. It’s that time of the week when we corral up all the headlines for the stories that got away into one big ol’ list and post them up. Take a look at what’s been going down over the past few weeks, follow the jump.
[click to continue…]
