ARLINGTON – One of the young skateboarders told police he “had a bad feeling” about grabbing onto a car for a ride up a hill.
In skateboarding lingo, it’s called skitching, a hybrid of the words skateboarding and hitchhiking, Arlington Police Chief John Gray said.
The boy’s intuition proved horribly right when his friend, an 11-year-old Marysville boy, suffered life-threatening head injuries while skitching Saturday evening in the Gleneagle neighborhood.
The boy was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. Police do not yet know whether he or his other two skateboarding friends were wearing helmets or protective gear, Gray said.
The 11-year-old’s current medical status is unknown because of federal medical privacy laws, although he was unconscious when he was loaded onto the helicopter, Gray said. His two friends were not seriously injured.
The driver, an 18-year-old Arlington man, is being investigated for possible criminal charges, but police are still gathering more details, Gray said.
So far, here’s what police believe happened, based on their initial interviews with the boys:
The 11-year-old was headed up a long hill on Eaglefield Drive toward Arlington High School with his 14-year-old brother and a 14-year-old from Silvana when the 18-year-old drove up, Gray said.
The driver knew at least one of the three skateboarders and offered them a ride, Gray said. The teen’s Nissan Sentra two-door was too small for all of them, though, especially with his 15-year-old buddy already riding in the car.
“We couldn’t fit, so we decided to skitch,” one of the skateboarders reportedly told police.
Two of the boys grabbed the car on one side and the other boy grabbed the opposite side, Gray said.
The driver told police he drove about 20 mph up the hill on Eaglefield Drive. Once reaching more level ground, all three skateboarders successfully navigated the right turn he made onto Greywalls Drive, Gray said.
Turning left on Carlyle Place, nearing his home, the driver sped up to about 25 mph, which is the speed limit there, Gray said.
At this point, all three skateboarders separated from the car, Gray said.
“We’re unclear if they let go or fell off,” Gray said.
The 11-year-old lost his balance and fell the hardest of the three, hitting his head, Gray said.
One 14-year-old also lost his balance. He was treated and released for scrapes and bruises, said Kristin Banfield, assistant city administrator.
The other 14-year-old was not hurt, Gray said.
“This is just a huge tragedy for everybody involved,” Gray said. “This was preventable. This did not have to happen.”
Reporter Scott Morris: 425-339-3292 or smorris@heraldnet.com.
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