Los Gatos Teen Stable Following Stakeboarding Accident

A Los Gatos teen is in stable condition after suffering major head injuries, which required his hospitalization at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center in San Jose following a June 20 skateboarding accident on Blossom Hill Road.

"He's still a patient," said a hospital receptionist who declined to be identified.

Dad Frank Laurencio said Charlie, 14, is doing better and doctors expect him to make a complete recovery after suffering a skull fracture and brain trauma. He also sustained some scrapes and bruises, he added.

According to Los Gatos-Monte Sereno police Sgt. Kerry Harris, Charlie and three friends were skateboarding eastbound downhill on Blossom Hill Road from University Avenue, when the youth lost control and crashed in the area of Blossom Hill Road at Oak Meadow Drive.

He sustained major head injuries and was transported to VMC for treatment, Harris said, adding that neither Charlie nor his friends who were skateboarding with him were wearing helmets as required by law.

A driver reported passing by Blossom Hill Road at about 6 p.m. June 20 and thought she had seen a vehicle versus pedestrian accident, according to a police report about the accident.

However, upon closer inspection, the woman noticed someone on the ground that turned out to be the fallen skateboarder.

Los Gatos Monte Sereno Police Sgt. Steve Walpole responded to the accident.

"We've had outstanding support from the community," Frank Laurencio said, especially from parents and friends from where Charlie graduated from and parishioners at where the family worships.

The family has lived in Los Gatos for 12 years. Charlie will attend Bellarmine College Preparatory in the fall as a freshman, dad said.

The has a helmet education program that consists of giving incentive coupons to youth when they're seen wearing the protective headgear, said Los Gatos-Monte Sereno Police Chief Scott Seaman. Last year, ice cream coupons rewarded those wearing helmets; this year, the coupon is for a free pizza.

According to the law, a person under 18 years of age cannot operate a bicycle, ride as a passenger, or ride a skateboard without a properly fitted and fastened helmet that meets the standards of the American National Standards Institute or the SNELL Standards for Protective Headgear. Violators will be cited, Harris said.

For more information on bicycle riding and skateboarding safety, please see attached PDF from the California Highway Patrol.