Man Fatally Injured in Fall Off Skateboard

A 19-year-old Westminster man died Wednesday of head injuries suffered after he tumbled from a skateboard while being towed by a friend’s pickup truck.

Darren Lee Kimbell was the second person in Orange County to die this year as a result of hitching a ride behind a vehicle while riding a skateboard, Police Sgt. C. Russ Miller said.

Kimbell and a friend were riding their skateboards Tuesday evening on Lomay Street, a small residential block off Newland Street. The two apparently decided to hitch a ride on a friend’s 1989 Nissan pickup truck. They took hold on the back of the truck, which was going 5 to 10 m.p.h. Kimbell’s friend told police that he let go because the ride was too unsteady but thatKimbell hung on.

Kimbell then apparently lost control of his skateboard and tumbled off, falling head-first onto the street. He suffered massive head injuries and was taken to UCI Medical Center, where he underwent emergency surgery. He died at noon Wednesday, a hospital spokeswoman said. His family said he never regained consciousness.

Dennis Kimbell said his son was a surfer who often practiced on his skateboard to to help with his balance on the waves. But Kimbell said he did not know why his son would hitch a ride behind a truck.

“Parents never know about these things,” Kimbell said. “I wish I knew. . . .”

Police say the accident remains under investigation.

“Unfortunately, these kinds of accidents are not rare,” Miller said. “They involve kids riding on bicycles, roller skates, or anything else on wheels. They approach the ride as if it’s a fun and fast way to get home.”

Miller said most injuries occur because riders lose their balance when the vehicles gain speed. Most of the time, riders suffer head injuries.

In June, Joel Christopher Banks, a 19-year-old Dana Point resident, died of head injuries after he crashed onto an asphalt driveway at Monarch Bay Plaza. He had been hanging onto the back of his roommate’s moving car before he fell off his board.

Orange County police officials do not keep a record of skateboard-related accidents. But Kevin Thatcher, editor of Thrasher skateboard magazine, said most skateboard enthusiasts tend to stay away from tow-along rides.

“This is not an ‘in’ thing to do with skateboards,” Thatcher said.