Welcome to Gaia! :: View User's Journal | Gaia Journals

A 10 year old skater in Buena Park, California, was killed on Tuesday, January 2, 2001 when he was unable to stop quickly enough at the bottom of a hill. He slammed into a 50 foot semi tractor-trailor and was killed instantly when he was dragged under the truck, and crushed between the rear wheels.

The 10 year old boy was skating south on Valley View Street in Buena Park, and he had just finished crossing the overpass for the 91 Freeway. He was skating downhill, at an uncontrolled speed, and when he reached the intersection of Valley View and Trinidad, he was unable to stop in time to avoid hitting a large, big rig truck that was making a left turn.

It was very bad timing because the truck came around the corner just as the boy flew over the curb and into the intersection. The truck driver felt a bump and stopped immediately. When he saw what had happened, he called the police and emergency medical personnel. The driver is not expected to be charged with a crime, because there was no way he could have seen the boy before he hit him.

The tragic accident happened just after 12:00 noon, while the boy was playing with his 13 year old brother and a 13 year old friend. One of the other boys was riding a scooter and one was carrying a skateboard, but neither of them were hurt. There were several witnesses to the incident, and unfortunately most of them were children playing in the area.