Skateboarding has always been cool and carried with it a draw for wild, rebellious youth.
It's an old trope but it probably rings a little bit true for the 70-year-old man who found himself the victim of what was essentially a hit-and-run this week.
According to North Vancouver RCMP, he suffered a broken wrist and forearm in four places after a skateboarder who lost control of his board while passing over a speed bump crashed into him. The skater offered a quick apology and skated away while the senior was left to wait for help.
This comes at a time when the skateboarding and longboarding communities are working hard to shore up their image and earn some legitimacy from the public and municipalities that are often keen to legislate them off the roads.
The teen made a mistake - he's obviously still learning how to control his board - but he should never have compounded it by leaving the scene. Skateboarding organizers and sympathetic parents would be wise to let young riders know that if the group as a whole is to earn respect they, in turn, need to treat other users of the road with respect.
If you hit someone and injure them, the law of the land and, more importantly, the law of human decency, says that you stick around long enough to take responsibility for your actions and make sure that the injured party gets whatever care is needed.
We don't believe in creating a moral panic over the incident. What happened here is part of growing up.
We just hope it comes with a lesson learned.
