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Tommy Michalson
1994 - 2006 |
Remember Tommy
Like so many 12-year-old boys, Tommy Michalson was a huge skateboarding fan. So it was no surprise that when he and his family -- mom, dad and sister, Lauren -- were vacationing in Colorado, he spent much of his time at a nearby skate park. Following family rules, Tommy always wore his helmet when he rode at the skate park.
About a week into their vacation, the plan was to drop Tommy off at the skate park, while the rest of the family did some shopping. Part way along, they realized that Tommy had forgotten to bring his helmet. He and his sister were going to head back to pick it up when Tommy decided he would skip the skate park that day.
As the family walked down the seemingly safe and smooth pedestrian pathway, Tommy hopped on his board -- even though he was not wearing a helmet -- and took off, stopping once to wait for the family to catch up. At that point, Tommy skated down a hill, out of sight of the rest of the family. A short time later, the family noticed a sheriff’s car and heard the siren of an approaching ambulance. They began to worry and started running in Tommy’s direction.
They found him unconscious on the ground, and he was still breathing when the paramedics arrived. They ventilated him and took him to the hospital. The Michalsons were told that Tommy had fractured the base of his skull, causing a severe brain injury. Later that night, despite the doctors’ best efforts, Tommy passed away.
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The Michalsons hope that Tommy’s story will help reinforce the importance of always wearing a helmet when on any type of wheels, skateboards, bicycles, scooters and in-line skates. Tommy had no internal injuries or broken bones, just a fractured skull. If he had been wearing a helmet that fateful morning, he might not have suffered a fatal injury.
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