Call for helmets repeated

Coroner Carla na Nagara is repeating her call for helmets to be made compulsory for motorised skateboarders, after ruling that the death of a man in Havelock in 2010 could have been avoided.

In her decision, Ms na Nagara said Tom Lawrence Kenny, 41, died in January 2010 from head injuries after falling off a 500 watt electric skateboard that he was riding while intoxicated.

Ms na Nagara said she considered the level of Mr Kenny's intoxication to be a significant contributing factor to the accident, but the head injury that caused his death could have been avoided if he had been wearing a helmet.

She recommended the legislation be changed to avoid similar deaths in the future, because the Land Transport Act defines motorised skateboards as motor vehicles required to be ridden on the road and can reach speeds up to 40kmh.

- © Fairfax NZ News