Man dies in skateboard accident

A Havelock man well known for riding a motorised skateboard around the town has died after falling off the skateboard on a footpath on Mahakipawa Rd last night.

Tom Kenny, 41, died at the scene after hitting his head when he fell from the skateboard about 8pm.

Havelock Volunteer Fire Brigade chief fire officer Alan Stanford said Mr Kenny, originally from Porirua, had fallen after hitting dirt and flipping the skateboard.

"This flipped him onto the concrete and he hit the back of his head," said Mr Stanford.

"It was pretty unreal really."

Mr Kenny was not wearing a helmet or other protective clothing, Mr Stanford said.

He said emergency services tried to revive the man, but he died at the scene.

Constable Michelle Stagg of Blenheim said a motorist found Mr Kenny lying on the side of the road. She stopped to check him and called emergency services.

Mr Kenny's flatmate Carla Wilson this morning described him as a quiet, relaxed guy who was just "cruising along".

"He was very helpful. If you ever asked him to do something it was not a problem."

Mr Kenny moved into the house just before Christmas and loved the motorised skateboard. It had been back in use for only a week after a part arrived from overseas, Ms Wilson said.

She worried about him because he sometimes went fast on his skateboard, up to 40kmh , and did not wear protective clothing.

He had spent about a year living at Havelock Motor Camp and the Havelock YHA hostel.

Brooke Norgate, 17, worked with Mr Kenny at Sanford for four months, when she was a mussel opener and he worked in the chiller.

She also lived four houses down from the accident scene. Miss Norgate arrived home from work about 8.30pm last night and found emergency services up the driveway of the house.

The news of his death today was a shock, she said.

"He was really nice, he was lovely. He was harmless."

Miss Norgate now works at Hav-E-Look Inn Cafe and Takeaways and said Mr Kenny came in about twice a week either for a chat or to order fish and chips.

She said he was well known in Havelock for his motorised skateboard, as he was the only one who had one in the small town.

Havelock YHA manager Brent Mathews said Mr Kenny had lived at the hostel for about three months.

"He always seemed to have a smile on his face  he was a happy bloke."

Blenheim and Havelock St John Ambulance, Havelock Volunteer Fire Brigade and police attended the accident.

The death of a Palmerston North man when his motorised skateboard crashed a year ago prompted coroner Carla Nagara to later call for helmets to be compulsory.

Ms Nagara said a legal loophole meant riders of electric skateboards did not have to wear helmets.

- The Marlborough Express