Her injuries did not appear to be serious, but she was taken to the Health Sciences Centre by ambulance, police say.
“Skitching” is the act of hitching a ride by holding onto a motor vehicle while riding on a skateboard or bicycle.
Marcus Skinner has been skateboarding for 10 years, and he told The Telegram this is not a new trend.
“I’ve done it before,” said Skinner. “You have to know exactly what you’re doing, and how to control your speed. If you get ‘speed wobbles’ and hit a rock, you’d wipe out.”
Skinner said that just a few nights ago he caught a ride with a car.
“I made sure that nobody was coming up the street,” said Skinner. “It was a flat surface, and it was a pretty small road anyways.”
Skateboarder Nick Callahan said that in some cases, he has been the driver.
“I think when you’re the driver it’s more so about knowing what the other person is doing, and what they’re capable of doing,” Callahan said.
Both skateboarders agreed the practice is dangerous, but they said it’s always safer when you know the driver.
“I remember watching somebody hang onto the back of a mail truck,” Callahan said. “Since he was trying not to be seen, the driver sped up and the guy ended up falling on his face.
“If nobody knows you’re doing it, it makes it even more dangerous.”
The RNC is warning young people to not engage in this type of hazardous activity.
“Personally, this is the first time that I have heard of this,” RNC Const. Geoff Higdon said Friday. “But I can’t speak for every instance we have ever had, in terms of complaints.”
