It's a wonder that more kids are not injured on skateboards, given their careless disregard for traffic and their failure to wear any safety equipment, most especially helmets.
Can the town enact any safety ordinances to mitigate the damage from this type of accident?
Helmet requirements for skateboarders?

Godspeed this boy's recovery.

It starts with the drivers Peter. Drivers have the weapon in their hands, their car. It's so very easy to blame kids isn't it. There are no proper places to skate in town with every school and public parking lot branding signs for skateboarders and scooters to stay away. There are plenty of parks and baseball fields in town, Marblehead should have a place for kids to skate and scooter. Not every kid is a sports jock. And drivers need to be more aware in this town. This is a kids town, an active town. People are out and about every day, rain or shine. Young and old are walking, on bikes, skateboards and running. Joggers and walkers are not required to wear helmets, so where is the argument there if they are hit?

As always, this is a complicated issue. I agree, there are few places where kids can skate and practice, but when we did have a slate park, it was not well maintained and was vandalized. From a driver's point of view, it' s not easy to handle our "weapon" of a vehicle when a skateboarder flies down the middle of the street wearing black at 9 pm-- this happened to my husband Thursday night on Elm St. We have been talking about this difficult issue for decades, and perhaps this terrible crash will give impetus to finding a workable solution for motorists and skaters

I would agree with Julie. I don't see a lot of erratic skateboarding (or bicycling, or running) out there, but I do see a LOT of (especially older) drivers who seem unable to drive the speed limit, let alone be aware of all of the obstacles in front of and around them. As a driver, that is indeed your responsibility. It's easy to blame the "kids", but in this case, it wasn't even a kid. It was a 22 year old. Of course, we don't know the details, but given that it was a 22 year old (hit) in broad daylight, it's probably best not to blame anyone at this point. Especially when we're talking "severe head injury".

Perhaps you know what to expect from skateboarders but most of us don't. Many kids wear black and don't know they can't be seen at night. I almost hit a boy at the end of my street when he just went flying by. Frightened me big time and he just went breezing along not realizing how close we were to a disaster. EVERYONE has to be vigiliant. Pray for the young man as well as the driver. Both their lives have been changed forever. Does anyone have an update on the young man's condition?

The town's roads are shared by kids and adults (and kids) in cars.
Skaters and boarders should be aware that a small error on the part of rider or driver can have the most severe consequences for the unprotected person -- that's the one not in a steel-framed car with a seatbelt on.

Regardless of who's at fault here -- or even if it's no one's fault, it's the unfortunate man on the skateboard who's now suffering the consequences of not riding with suitable protection.

A skateboard can exceed any speed limit downhill -- the operator's less manueverable than a pedestrian and is far more likely to fall, even without colliding with a car.

The comment about there not being a proper place to skate is MORE reason why boarders should protect themselves.

Those most at risk should take the strongest possible protections from the consequences of colliding with cars.

According to the Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford University half of the head injuries for kids in sports were bicycling, rollerboarding or skating.

More than 38,000 children ages five to 14 were treated in hospital emergency rooms for in-line skating-related injuries.

More than 61,000 children ages five to 14 were treated in hospital emergency rooms for skateboarding-related injuries.

But how often do we see people on skateboards wearing helmets?
Not often, right?
Why not?

In this case, I'm actually more interested in local stats and less in national stats, if only we could get them. It'd be interesting to see what there's a higher incidence of: skateboarders/bicyclists etc at FAULT (and perhaps injured)/the cause of accidents vs. elderly and/or incapacitated drivers hitting pedestrians/skateboarders/bicyclists because of their dimished ability, age, etc. My GUESS is that there would be more of the latter category, though I could of course be wrong. It's easy to blame "those reckless kids" when it's just as easily someone whose night vision is degraded and just didn't see that person "darting out in front of them". Hence my interest in local stats over national.

I'm not sure why local stats would matter more than national ones.

But here's a local statistic:
Run as fast as you can and you'll be going about 12 mph.

Now, run as fast as you can into a brick wall. Straight, no slowing down.
That's the same as a skateboarder going six mph hour hitting a car going six mph.
Will your head be at risk?

Annual number of people who experience a traumatic brain injury:
1. 4 million annually in the United States

Overall among all age groups

Deaths: 50,000
Hospitalization: 235,000
Emergency room visits: 1.1 million TBI patients are treated in the emergency room and released

Among children ages 0 to 14 years

Deaths: 26, 85 0
Hospitalizations: 37,000
Emergency Department visits: 435,000

Number of Americans living with a traumatic brain injury:
Approximately 5.3 million

Risk by age:
Children ages 0 to 14 years and young people ages 15 to 19 years are at the highest risk for TBIs.
Adults over 75 years old are at the highest risk for hospitalization and death due to TBIs.
Approximately 75% of traumatic brain injuries seen in emergency departments are mild cases. Annually about 70,000 people who have TBI experience permanent damage.

Lifetime costs:
It was estimated that medical costs and loss of wages due to TBI amounted to over $60 billion in the United States during 2000

Source: www.brainandspinalcord.org

Kids count on drivers doing the right thing all the time.
They shouldn't.

Lots of places have skateboard parks. I've never understood why Marblehead finds it impossible to do what is done in other places. The only conclusion I can come to is that — since "where there's a will, there's a way" — there just isn't sufficient will in the town generally and on the Recreation and Park Commission specifically.

Skateboarding is dangerous, but so are all sports to a greater or lesser extent, and skateboarding in the streets isn't safer than skateboarding in a park.

Maybe the National Grand Bank should donate the former YMCA site to the town (or to some non-profit agency, such as the Y) on condition that it be maintained as a skateboard park. ;)

One way or another, this town ought to have a decent place for people to skateboard.

Yes, Marblehead should indeed have a skate park.
Until it gets one people have to prtect themselves on the street.

Here's a blog that describes the consequences of skating unprotected.

http://aronshubin.blogspot.com/

One of my best friends in California, director Bill Graham, lies in a semi-vegetative state after falling from his bicycle at the end of his driveway. He was a very bright guy -- Andover, Yale , Emmy nominee for Jim Jones' story -- but he didn't wear a helmet on his bicycle, even though he wore one on his motorcycle.
Now he requires full-time care.

Hospitals and homes are full of people like Aron and Bill and helmets might have changed their fates.

In fact, I've just talked myself into getting a new helmet because I know how one driver's distraction or inattention can be another person's brain-damaging disaster.

Wheels underneath = helmet on top.

Skatepark????? A little hstory...Marblehead had a skate park less than 10 years ago. It was at Gatchell's. The skateboarders were solely responsible for there not being a skatepark anymore. The skatepark was a nicely put together area with ramps, rails etc. However, the skateboarders rufused to wear helmets, intimidated any younger children from skating there and on many documented occations brought alchohol and drugs into the park. On one occation that made the papers one skater brought a handgun. Finally, the vandalism, litter and disregard for the park got to be too much.
Now don't get me wrong, this is not a "skateboarders are punks" story. If kids are riding around being unsafe what is going to make them suddenly ride at a park wearing safety equiptment. After using our tax money to pay for the skatepark do we then pay for a Park and Rec employee to police the park? Because the town builds it does our taxpayers money have to insure it, does the town get sued when little Dylan takes a header?
I'll take my chances with the senior citizens driving crazy all over the streets of Marblehead.

Yes Sally, a skatepark. Bring it back Marblehead officials! If a kid falls at one of the many playgrounds in town, do they sue? Of course not. And please don't try to tell me that kids don't smoke pot or drink at parks throughout town. Of course they do. Why is it that every other town has a skatepark? Salem, Beverly, Danvers, Lynn. A simple sign stating that helmets are required and that skating is at one's own risk. Per order MHDPD and Town of Marblehead. BTW, a basketball can be just as intimidating to "little Dylan" in town trying to get a game in. We need to move forward with the times and use bounderies, not sufficate our kids interests. Skateboarding is becoming more and more popular on the east coast. Embrace and enforce.

Of course I remember the skatepark at Gatchell's Pit. It always struck me as kind of measly, but at least it was something. And I vaguely remember the excuses for shutting it down. But the misbehavior that Sally recounts is a separate issue. If people drink or smoke pot at Devereux Beach, do we close the beach?

As for helmets, Peter Lake is no doubt right that helmets will prevent or alleviate many injuries. But there is still risk in skateboarding, hockey, football, baseball, bicycling, and many activities in which helmets are generally not worn. My opinion is that if skateboarders want to assume the additional risk which comes with not wearing a helmet in order to have a more exhilarating experience, we tell them they're doing so at their own risk, but we don't take away their freedom. And even if it is made a rule that they have to wear helmets, violations are not a valid excuse to shut down the park. Why would anybody want to hire an employee to police the skatepark?

What we need is a can do attitude. Maybe the town shouldn't own the skatepark. Maybe the Y should provide it. But there should be one.