Police:83 year old Woman killed by skateboarder

This is so incredibly sad.
I've been waiting for the same thing to happen here. We live on a very steep hill and kids bike/skateboard down it all the time w/ no parental supervision. We also live above the town park, so people are always walking to/from it. Someday. . . .
 
This is so sad. The interview with her husband was heartbreaking.
 
There are all kinds of skateboarders, I am sure. Most of the ones I have run across are defiant mouthy little punks. If they're not that way when they get into it, they soon are. I wonder if there was someplace else the kid in this story could have been skateboarding? It helps a lot if some area is set aside and they don't need to be in the streets and parking lots.
 
Wow, Capitola is such a pedestrian heavy area, especially down by the beach. How heartbreaking for her widower-- 64 years, and her girlfriends! :(

Also, how strange that she'd been hit by a skateboard 15 years prior... very strange.
 
I feel horrible for this woman's family. Watching her husband tears my heart out. When I look back on the stupid $#!+ I did when I was kid it's amazing I didn't kill myself or someone else. Of course by 17 I was more mature than that. I give the kid credit for sticking around and not running off. A lot of kids and adults would have done that. I'm sure he wasn't even thinking that killing someone would be possible from what he was doing. Many of us live in our skins and don't even try to think about the consequences of our decisions on others. JMO
 
i do give the kid credit for staying and apologizing to the victim's family, but he should also pay the consequences for his actions. watching her husband brought me to tears, to think all those years together and have her ripped away in an instant. he needs our prayers.
 
OMG I feel so very bad for this widower. Regardless of the apology, he should be brought/made to pay retribution for this horrible event. Drunk drivers have to pay retribution for driving while intoxicated.....in my opinion a skateboarder is using public accessway for fun and games.
 
We have a very nice skate park in my town, but I live next to a church and the little punks are always using the walk ways and steps to skate board on, my kids have almost been run over numerous times and the cops don't care. Maybe I'll email them this story.
 
i do give the kid credit for staying and apologizing to the victim's family, but he should also pay the consequences for his actions. watching her husband brought me to tears, to think all those years together and have her ripped away in an instant. he needs our prayers.

I agree. I'm not saying that he shouldn't be punished, just that he probably feels horrible too. I'm sure his intent wasn't to hurt or kill anyone. He was just having fun. The problem is he didn't think things through.

One of my first jobs was working at a little pharmacy with the owner. He is one of the best people I've ever known. A truly, truly wonderful man. He's only about 15 years older than I am.

Anyhoo, I screwed up one time and he was mad at me and I said "I didn't think....". He interrupted me and said "Exactly you didn't think!" I was really cheesed off by his abrupt comment but by the next day I saw the wisdom of such a statement.
 
We have a very nice skate park in my town, but I live next to a church and the little punks are always using the walk ways and steps to skate board on, my kids have almost been run over numerous times and the cops don't care. Maybe I'll email them this story.

You should talk to the pastor of the church. If one of those kids hurts himself skateboarding on church property the church would be legally responsible. Also, if a pastor calls the police and asks them to keep skateboarders off their property it might have a stronger effect. JMO
 
I feel horrible for the woman and her family as well.

But I agree with you Steely. I'm sure he never intended to hurt anybody. And, I'm sure he will have to live with this the rest of his life.
He needs to pay, but I'm not sure how harsh the punishment should be IMO.

The idea that most skateboarders are punks is crazy to me.
Skateborading is a sport and great for kids. The problem is that there is far too few skate parks in the world.

In many areas, people can ride bikes down sidewalks but skateboarding is not allowed. What's the difference? 2 extra wheels?

My nephews both skate. My small town built a "skatepark" a few years ago. There was not much to it but it did give the youth somewhere to go to skate.
That is until a lady from the neighborhood behind the park complained about the noise that the boards make when going on rails and ramps. She got a petition together and they tore it down and made new basketball courts. We already have several basketball courts.
So, the kids are back to parking lots and such.

IMO skaters do not get the same treatment as kids who enjoy other sports because they have a bad rap.

Most towns have baseball fields, softball fields, soccer fields, basketball courts, football fields....

I'm sure all of those have their share of "punks".

JMO
 
They have a bad REP because they invade busy pedestrian areas-- not a stretch to abhor them. And riding bikes on the sidewalk isn't legal anywhere I've lived. jmo
 
In my town, only bikes without gears can be ridden on the sidewalk. In other words.. little kids bikes. As soon as a kid graduates to a 10 speed they must ride in the street.
I guess all towns are different. I will talk to the pastor and see what he says, thanks for the idea :)
 
They have a bad REP because they invade busy pedestrian areas-- not a stretch to abhor them. And riding bikes on the sidewalk isn't legal anywhere I've lived. jmo

So they are stereotyped because many don't have places to ride?
 
Looks like skating downhill in Capitola is nothing new....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capitola,_California

Capitola Classic
The Capitola Classic was a skateboarding event held in Capitola village in the late 1970s and early 1980s.[citation needed] The Capitola Classic was known in skating circles for its annual downhill race, which was a head-to-head speed competition that drew top names in the sport, many local as well as international, including Santa Cruz, California local John Hutson, who held the world speed record for skateboarding at 53.45 mph and dominated the event each year.[citation needed] Starting in 2009 efforts were made to revive the event.[12]

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Apparently, the woman was in a crosswalk, divided by a median. The 17 yr old skateboarder from Colorado, wearing headphones, came flying down a hill at about 20mph past a stop sign. AND, skateboarding is not permitted in the village. He has been arrested.

http://www.newser.com/story/122806/woman-83-killed-in-collision-with-skateboarder.html

http://www.wsmv.com/story/15042510/woman-killed-by-teen-on-skateboard

This article updated today says he was not arrested...


Booth added that the boy was not arrested but did receive a citation for skateboarding in Capitola Village, where skateboarding is illegal.

Also in the article:


"I don't remember hearing of anybody getting a ticket down there for skateboarding," said nearby resident Judi Oyama, a competitive skateboarder who's been attempting to resurrect the Capitola Classic, a downhill and slalom race event established in the late-1970s.

"It's an unfortunate accident," she said. "I don't think the town will go anti-skateboard because of it. Kids rely on transportation, and they're usually getting around on skateboards and bikes," Oyama continued. "A lot of kids skate through the Village on their way to school and the beach. That surprises me that skateboarding is illegal in the Village."


Booth explained that the California vehicle code says that skateboarders must follow the same road rules as pedestrians, whereas bicyclists are considered motor vehicles. "[The skateboarder] definitely would have been at fault if he was on a bike because he would have had to stop at that stop sign [in front of the crosswalk]," Booth said. "But there are no laws in the vehicle code stating that skateboarders are held to the same standards as bicyclists."


The Mercury News reported Friday that the teen and his mother wrote remorseful, apologetic letters to the family.


***so it seems to me LE is not doing much to stop the skateboarding since it's obvious many skate there.
 
This article updated today says he was not arrested...


Booth added that the boy was not arrested but did receive a citation for skateboarding in Capitola Village, where skateboarding is illegal.

Also in the article:


"I don't remember hearing of anybody getting a ticket down there for skateboarding," said nearby resident Judi Oyama, a competitive skateboarder who's been attempting to resurrect the Capitola Classic, a downhill and slalom race event established in the late-1970s.

"It's an unfortunate accident," she said. "I don't think the town will go anti-skateboard because of it. Kids rely on transportation, and they're usually getting around on skateboards and bikes," Oyama continued. "A lot of kids skate through the Village on their way to school and the beach. That surprises me that skateboarding is illegal in the Village."


Booth explained that the California vehicle code says that skateboarders must follow the same road rules as pedestrians, whereas bicyclists are considered motor vehicles. "[The skateboarder] definitely would have been at fault if he was on a bike because he would have had to stop at that stop sign [in front of the crosswalk]," Booth said. "But there are no laws in the vehicle code stating that skateboarders are held to the same standards as bicyclists."


The Mercury News reported Friday that the teen and his mother wrote remorseful, apologetic letters to the family.


***so it seems to me LE is not doing much to stop the skateboarding since it's obvious many skate there.

The bolded part about skateboarders being held to the same standards as bicycles is ridiculous, IMO. Since skateboarding is illegal in the town they don't need to make any other laws regarding skateboarding.
 
The bolded part about skateboarders being held to the same standards as bicycles is ridiculous, IMO. Since skateboarding is illegal in the town they don't need to make any other laws regarding skateboarding.

From what I am reading this town has tons of skaters. And only certain areas are off limits.
If you google Capitola, CA, almost every article you find that describes the town talks about skateboarding.

IMO this kid was doing nothing many others in Capitola don't do. IMO this was just a tragic accident.
 

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