Posted on 02/09/2005 12:26:32 PM PST by South40
A 25-year-old man died yesterday after he tumbled off his skateboard while his brother towed him in an SUV down Jamacha Road, San Diego police said.
A back tire of the Ford Explorer ran over Cecilio Miguel Soltero of Spring Valley. He was not wearing a helmet, police said.
A witness said she saw the driver jump out of the Explorer and scream, "It's my fault! It's my fault!"
Investigators arrested the brother, Patrick Soltero, 21, on suspicion of vehicular manslaughter.
Police said the two were going west on Jamacha Road, just west of Car Street in the Jamacha-Lomita neighborhood, about 3:50 p.m. Patrick Soltero pulled over, and Cecilio Soltero hopped out and got on the skateboard.
He held onto the passenger side of the Explorer while his brother drove about 20 mph down a steep hill for perhaps half a block. The man fell off the skateboard, hit his head on the pavement and was run over, police Sgt. Todd Jarvis said.
Victoria Lawson said she was driving east on Jamacha, with children in her car, when she noticed the stunt.
"First thing I said was 'Look at that guy; he's crazy,' " Lawson said. "Then I saw him fall, and he wasn't moving."
Several neighbors rushed outside to help. Some started CPR. Ann Joins said she called 911.
"I saw him lying in the road," Joins said. "You could tell there was trauma to his head. His brother was screaming, "It's my fault! It's my fault!"
He was taken to a hospital, where he was declared dead shortly after arriving.
Jarvis said it is illegal for a motorist to tow someone on a bike or skateboard. He said an investigation was continuing to determine whether the brother would face any charges.
The speed limit in that stretch of Jamacha Road, with one lane in each direction through a residential area, is 35 mph, Jarvis said.
Man we used to do this when we were kids...
Trying to figure out which one of the brother possessed the lone family brain cell,,,,,
ping
Any bets on how soon the skateboard manufacturer will be sued for not providing a warning about this?
Northern Minnesota variation: Hang onto the rear bumper and "ski" on your shoes when the street is covered with snow.
We'd "tailgate" by hanging on the bumper, which was pretty dumb, I guess. But none of us were dumb enough to hang on the SIDE of the car.
How do you say "ya'll watch me do this!" in Spanish?
Yikes! I never did it on a skateboard but I did do it on my Schwinn Sting Ray at up to 50mph while being towed by my brother's Camaro.
Darwin Award Alert
Ha we did that too, in college...on the rare occasion it snowed in Georgia.
His brother was screaming, "It's my fault! It's my fault!"
Actually, it was your brother’s fault. You just get an idiot assist.
I didn't think people had shoes in Georgia.
Why not sue Ford also? After all, they did make the Explorer.
Only in San Diego is it normal to see men age 25 and over skateboarding....
"He said an investigation was continuing to determine whether the brother would face any charges."
I don't thinks that's necessary at this point. Nothing they could do to him would be worse than the guilt he already feels.
Lawyers generally counsel against this sort of thing ...
"Oye, aguante mi cerveza Y mira aqui!" (Hold my beer and watch this!")
Had an SUV not been involved the guy would have been just fine. Everyone knows that the media has told us that SUV's kill.
I recall this particular stunt was shown, with various chronological variations, in the "Back To The Future" movies.
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