We all know skateboarding is dangerous - you're riding at high speeds, with nothing but gravity and good sense keeping you from a nasty fall. We've all been hurt from time to time. But sometimes, the worst happens. A reader just tuned me in to a conversation going on over at Silverfish Longboarding about the large number of skateboarding deaths that have been reported in the last month. It's a lot. Check out the post and what people are saying about it on the Silverfish Forum.
It's sobering to read about some of this stuff. I mean, we all KNOW skateboarding is dangerous, and with the huge numbers of people skateboarding all over the world, there's going to be some pretty serious accidents. There's just going to be. But still, I just don't think about it. I don't REALLY think it could happen to me, or to anyone I care about.
I can't help but post a link here to my Skateboard Safety article - if you know someone who isn't skating safely, please shove this in their face. Get in their face yourself. If you care about them, and you don't, then do you really care?
It's just tough to read all of this, and no matter how safe you might try and be, accidents can still happen. If you've lost someone, or if you have some thoughts of feelings about all of this, please post a comment below.
Comments
I have been skateboarding on and off for many years.
When my grandson took it up I said cool a skating buddy.We would go to contests,read the mags and just
ride it was good.We had helmets and pads for when we
would go to skateparks but we would not realy wear it when we would skate on lots and schools.I wondered why we lost so many good skaters last year,but we were out just riding last june 20,warming up for skateboarding day and it happen!I came to in a hospital room in august.I realy do not know how or what happen my grandson could not tell me because he also went down and could not see me,but when he found me I was on the ground bleeding. Thank god for good insurance.We still skateboard but we now wear helmet and pads no matter were we ride,we do not care how lame it looks and we take a little heat for it but at least we have a better chance of coming back home in one piece.Skate for life,ride on!
Here’s a good safety tip: How about not riding around on a f***ing piece of wood with wheels?
I agree, skateboarding should be banned. My 19 years old nephew died from this damn sport. Head injuries happen with skateboards and are usually fatal.
Seriously, chill. People die from literally EVERYTHING. Nope. Didn’t use literally wrong. Sit on the couch watching some show, BAM. Epilepsy. Shall we ban tv? If you want to ban something, ban the pot they smoke after they’re done.
Unfortunately, a young friend of mine died this past weekend skateboarding with no helmet. He wasn’t doing tricks or flips. He just fell off and hit his head on a rock and suffered a fatal brain injury – one that could have been prevented with a helmet. I know it looks “dorky” but laying in a casket looks worse.
I have been doing a fatality report for the past couple of years to have statistics about how FEW fatalities there are in skating. If you know someone who has died skateboarding, please list their name and the date of death so I can confirm. There have not been any fatalitites that I am aware of on Sept. 7th Vanessa. I would like to know who that is that you claim has died please.
Banning skateboarding because of death is ridiculous. It’s like saying lets ban swimming because people drown. There is a risk associated with everything. People should take precautions to prevent injury. If they don’t then it’s a choice they make, and if they suffer as a result that is no reason to ban an activity that millions enjoy.