A 19-year-old man from Eagan has died from injuries suffered in a skateboarding accident in St. Paul.
Gunnar Miller was skateboarding near Carroll and Prior Avenues Tuesday afternoon when he asked a friend if he could hold onto his car — a practice known as "skitching" — while his friend was driving, said St. Paul police spokesman Sgt. Paul Paulos.
Miller held onto the side mirror of the car for a short distance and then let go, Paulos said. As the friend drove on, he saw Miller skate a short distance before falling and hitting his head on the ground. Authorities responded to the scene around 1 p.m. and Miller was taken to Regions Hospital, where he later died, Paulos said.
Miller had not been wearing a helmet.
"This is something that kids do. It's unfortunate. … Somebody today lost a family member," Paulos said.
The 23-year-old driver, from Dellwood, stayed at the scene and was cooperative with police, Paulos said. He wasn't under the influence of alcohol, and has not been citied.
Police, meanwhile, are investigating how fast the vehicle was traveling at the time of the accident, Paulos said.
NICOLE NORFLEET
