Posted on 08/12/2008 9:48:33 PM PDT by BenLurkin
MISSION VIEJO A 14-year-old skateboarder who was struck by an SUV when he veered between two parked cars will be taken off life-support Tuesday at Children's Hospital of Orange County at Mission.
Nathan Gonzalez has been in critical condition in the intensive pediatric ward since he was struck Sunday evening near Los Alisos Boulevard while skateboarding with a group of friends. KCAL 9's Michele Gile reported that the victim's family plans to say their final goodbyes to Nathan and take him off life-support Tuesday afternoon.
Denise Almazan of CHOC could not immediately confirm broadcast reports that the boy might be removed from life-support later Tuesday.
Jim Amormino of the Orange County Sheriff's Department said Nathan "rode out into the path of an oncoming" Dodge Durango driven by 25-year-old Johnny Perez.
Perez was "deemed not to be at fault" for striking the boy, but he was arrested for alleged misdemeanor DUI, Amormino said.
Nathan was skateboarding with friends on the sidewalk when he came to the end and went into the street, officials said. He was thrown about 40 feet when he was struck by the SUV, the Orange County Register reported.
Aaron Saenz was behind Nathan, and told the newspaper that he saw the vehicle and yelled for Nathan to stop, but he was facing away from the vehicle.
The boy was not wearing a helmet, according to reports.
Perez, who lives in the neighborhood, came back to the scene with his wife and children, and was described as being in total shock, the newspaper reported.
Nathan's friend, Duke Lopez, told KCAL9 that the two were lifelong friends.
"We were skateboarding down a hill and he was like saying, `Duke, you know, you're like a brother to me,"' Duke told Channel 9.
Given the chance to talk to his friend again, Duke said he would tell Nathan "that I love him. He's my brother."
You take a risk everytime you skate, drive, walk, leave the house...
SUV’s on the loose once again.
Prayers for the young boy, but would the vehicle have been identified if it had been a pick-up, sedan or hip hybrid?
'Strewth! I just paced out 40 feet to see how far it was -- it's quite a distance.
Makes me wonder how fast the SUV was travelling??
Prayers for Nathan and his family going up. And for the driver and his family.
Offender: Johnny Perez born 3/23/1983
http://visionweb.occourts.org/Vision_Public/SearchCase.do
I don’t know if he is legal or not, but the guy is a menace on and off the road.
Right in my backyard. I can walk to Los Alisos in less than ten minutes. I’m guessing this happened a bit further down the road from my house, however, but it could not have been more than 10 -15 miles.
The day President Reagan announced the Strategic Defense Initiative ballistic missile defense program.
How can he be 14 and be born in ‘83?
“Prayers for the young boy, but would the vehicle have been identified if it had been a pick-up, sedan or hip hybrid?”
Something like a Smart Car probably wouldn’t have had enough mass to hurt him.
I’ve got a Durango, and that’s a lot of Dodge steel to get hit with.
The man that hit the skateboarder was born in 1983 and the skateboarder is 14.
Very sad. Prayers for all concerned.
Skateboarding on the streets is a nuisance and a menace. If you are going to skateboard on the streets, don’t be surprised if you are hit by oncoming traffic. Streets were designed for vehicles, and sidewalks for pedestrians, not skateboarders.
A combination of pulbic skool ‘math’ and really quite dreadful writing.
How sad.
Duke Lopez what an interesting name.
Prayers for all who will miss the young lad.
Lord this would be a good time for intervention.
Dodge? How in the heck can that be described as an SUV.
I pondered that too.
40 ft is a helluva distance.
Bookmark
Sitting on ones young ass doing nothing is a menace to their personal health and overall healthcare costs. I gladly give skateboarders a wide berth. Bicyclists in spandex are a different story.
California must be different than some other states. In most states if you are driving over the legal limit and are in a fatal accident, you are charged with vehicular homicide regardless of fault. In Indiana, the conviction rate is nearly 100%. I know a young man who is currently in the 3rd year of a six year sentence for an incident just like this.
Johnny has been a busy young man. Good find.
How can someone be charged with a DUI and deemed not to be at fault?
I'm not kidding. Michiganders drive like cross-eyed insane people because they know they can get away with it. It's demented and sad.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.