Wear your Helmets dammit.

**jamesonyo** · 05-03-2009 12:12 PM

I have yet another experience to share that regards helmets and safety.

Now keep in mind I'm not making another thread to hop on this new "safety bandwagon" in which everyone who wears helmets rips on kids who don't. If they value their "reputation" over their safety, that's their choice.

Anyway, yesterday my friends and I were bombing the regular route we do everyone weekend. A few of them just started this year, but are pretty good, so we came confidently into the last hill of the day.

Although it's not the fastest, I think its the most fun hill in our session because of all the turns. Because I have the most experience on this hill, naturally, I went down first. I finish it, and start slowing down when a car w/ teenagers passes me and start yelling something at me. I can't hear what they're saying, assume they're swearing at me, but then my friend starts yelling too.

He starts frantically skating past me and doesn't tell me why. I turn around to where hes skating towards, and I see my friends gathered around one my other friends. He has his shirt off, and when I get closer I see he's bleeding really badly from his head. He got a little bit of wobble on the fastest part of the hill, fell and slammed his head on the guard rail.

I call 911 and they send cops and an ambulance over. The cops asked him if he was wearing a helmet. When he said no, the officer replied "Stupid..." Although I think this was a bit harsh of a statement, it was very true. Although we had brought helmets with us we didn't wear them because it "wasn't the fastest hill." We are now wearing our helmets at all times.

Sorry if this post is a novel, but I just thought I needed to get my point across. Wear your helmets for ****'s sake.

**TheKraken** · 05-03-2009 02:44 PM

Damn. Sorry to hear that. Is he alright?

**jdodzilla** · 05-03-2009 02:46 PM

yeah, is he alright? that sucks man

**TM_Cruzer** · 05-03-2009 02:48 PM

Originally Posted by jamesonyo

Although we had brought helmets with us we didn't wear them because it "wasn't the fastest hill."

Mhmmm......

**jamesonyo** · 05-03-2009 02:52 PM

Originally Posted by TheKraken

Damn. Sorry to hear that. Is he alright?

Originally Posted by jdodzilla

yeah, is he alright? that sucks man

Yeah he's feeling better, but he's got two staples in his head. Thanks for the concern.

**kjc6** · 05-03-2009 02:52 PM

So sorry to hear that, man. I hope your friend is alright.

I know it's easy to forget about our mortality when we don't fall for a while. I know I probably would have had a concussion a year or so ago if I didn't have my helmet on at the time. I've started thinking about this more lately and am now wearing my bucket whenever I do any serious skating.

**jdodzilla** · 05-03-2009 02:53 PM

#### that man, I wear my helmet 100% of the time...I consider any skating to be SERIOUS skating...

**CasterTown** · 05-03-2009 02:56 PM

Let us know about how your friend recovers. Definitely wear a helmet for any kind of DH.

**jdodzilla** · 05-03-2009 02:58 PM

Originally Posted by jamesonyo

Yeah he's feeling better

Glad to hear that man

**kjc6** · 05-03-2009 02:58 PM

Originally Posted by jdodzilla

#### that man, I wear my helmet 100% of the time...I consider any skating to be SERIOUS skating...

Kudos to you for making the better decision. I'm working on it.

Anyway, I am not going to argue about other people's safety preferences or attempt to rationalize my own for everyone else on Silverfish. Just wanted to offer the OP my sympathy and comment that it's a subject that is garnering much more attention nowadays (as it should).

**jamesonyo** · 05-03-2009 02:58 PM

Originally Posted by CasterTown

Let us know about how your friend recovers. Definitely wear a helmet for any kind of DH.

I'll definitely update. And I think my friends and I have all learned our lesson...

**SlyTX** · 05-03-2009 03:01 PM

For any kind of DH? Screw that...garages, ditches, parks....the only time I may skate without a helmet is when skating one block on a flat street to a friends house.

Somewhat unrelated story, but i was watching one of those Cops types of shoes and there was a drugged up woman walking in the middle of the highway. To stop her they tazed her, from a walking pace she fell from the tazing and slammed her head into the pavement. She had head injuries.

**SUPERBALLER** · 05-06-2009 07:23 AM

yea wear your freaking helmets my mom works with people with mental problems and major head injuries some of them were not wearing helmets and its very serious and some of them got in car wrecks i have been in there to help her out its very depressing

JUST DO IT

**Petary791** · 05-06-2009 07:38 AM

How many threads of, "Just wear your helmet" is it going to take?

I'm happy you're friends ok.

**pavedwave** · 05-06-2009 08:02 AM

i wonder when some magazines will start setting a better example? one "sick!!" helmet-free cover distributed worldwide blows away the strength of 100 threads detailing the perils of brain-smashing and the joys of a pampered, diapered, tube-fed life.

recent story from NWLB on another consequence -- favorite spots getting blown:

"I was skating it the other day and one of the bus/shuttle drivers is really chill and tends to give us rides up. I had taken a few runs and there was this nice old guy smiling and waving but not stopping to give me a ride, I was happy to hike it though. He pulled up next to me and said "I would love to give you a ride but we aren't allowed to". I didn't think much of it until there was a shift change and the guy that is usually chill stopped next to me and said I might want to take off. He said that there was a rider that isn't from our normal crew who was up there without a helmet, was inexperienced, and needed to be taken off the hill in an ambulance. Since then management has changed their policy they will no longer be tolerating longboarders on the hill. The drivers have been instructed to tell us to leave immediately and if they see us twice to call the cops."