Skateboarder struck by van dies
Published: August 30, 2009
Updated: August 31, 2009
MIDDLEBORO, Mass.—An 18-year-old skateboarder was killed late Saturday night, when he was struck by a mini-van.
The Standard Times reports the fatal accident happened on East Grove Street around 11:30 p.m.
Police are withholding the name of the victim, pending the notification of his family. He lived in Middleboro.
The mini-van was operated by Jordan Layman, 16, of Middleboro.
The accident is being investigated by both Middleboro and the Massachusetts State Police.
Reader Reactions
Please remember that no matter who was at fault, these kids were and are someone’s family. CJ was my cousin. Please show some amount of respect for his life, and the 16 year old kid that has to live with this the rest of his life. I’m sure you’d all want the same if this was your family.
I didn’t say he was in the middle of the road, I said where I live those kids are always in the middle of the road. They (the kids in my neighborhood) don’t look and they don’t think—they think the road, which cars need to travel on so the people can get to their homes, after all they are VEHICULAR roads not roads for pedestrians—are solely their domain and give everyone who is not on a skateboard dirty looks. Now that doesn’t go for every kid on a skateboard, just the ones where I live because that’s how they are.
Christopher Brooks was one of my best friends. He was not in the middle of the road. He was on his way home from a friends house and he was less than mile from home. You can literally see where he lives from the site of the accident. RIP Chris Brooks. <3 3.29.09 Always in our hearts and never forgotten. I love and miss you so much! I still can’t believe your gone!
I want to comment on my post….
I know one’s not supposed to ride their skateboards (or bikes, or motorized scooters) on the sidewalks, but the middle of the street is not particularly smart either. But where can these kids go? That’s why it would be great to have skateboard parks. But not just one in a town, there should be a few. I think there’s at least one in the next town over (about 3 miles away) but for some reason the mothers of these kids never take them to a playground or park. They play both touch and tackle football right next to the buildings where a football can (and does, as happened to us more than once) go sailing into a window.
Ana…it doesn’t matter what time of the day it was…he was 18 years old…thats considered an adult…he was able to make his own decisions as to what to or NOT to wear…just a tragedy all together…this 16 year old boy must be completely mortified of this terrible accident!! Can you just imagine!?!?! Time of day doesn’t matter! nor what the kid WAS or WAS NOT wearing! IMO…
Let’s not forget that this individual was skateboarding at 11:30 PM - not am - PM. Was he wearing reflective clothing? I know this is tragic, but the skateboarder must also bear some responsibility.
My heart also goes out to the family….a skate park would be a very good idea. Skateboarding seems to have regrown in popularity from what it was 10, even 15 years ago.
Where I live you have kids from the age of 5 to about 12 riding their skateboards. They do not ride on the sidewalks, either, but in the middle of the street. This is an apartment complex that has three roads that merge together and the main road opens out to a busy road at one end and a dead-end on the other. They look at cars like the drivers have no business being on their roads; the speed limit is supposed to be 5 MPH but you’d be very hard pressed to find someone going that slow, more like 35 MPH or even 45 MPH (there are speed bumps but they do no good as the skateboarding kids use these as ramps and despite the risk of bottoming out their car, a lot of people barely slow down over these). These kids come zooming down the hill around a blind corner and you have drivers going way too fast. On top of that nobody’s looking to see what could be coming. I am not saying that’s what happened to this skateboarder—he was 18 so I don’t think it was a case of an “inattentive kid.“
there should definitely be more parks with designated skateboard areas since it has become so very popular. Another observation to note though is that for a lot of these kids it’s become their form of transportation, and that’s where it becomes a hazardous situation.
My son is also an avid skateboarder! Great kid with terrific grades in school, he hangs out with very respectable kids and the only place these kids have to go is a place in North Smithfield called Pacheco Park, and we live 8-10 miles away, in Cumberland! Kind of a rediculous ride, but I drive him there when he asks just so he’s not in danger on the streets! The poor family of this 18 yo boy…my hearts go out to you!
Laurie… u r soo right. We have a skatebroad park in north prov. you should see ALL the kids the use it. Too bad there weren’t more.
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