Crime & Safety
Crystal Lake Man Found Unconscious After Fall on Longboard
Police have to determine what classification the motorized longboard falls under before deciding if the 25-year-old operator will be charged with a traffic citation or ordinance violation.
A Crystal Lake man is in fair condition at Centegra-Northern Illinois Medical Center in McHenry after he was found unconscious on South William Street by passerby Sept. 27.
received a call about 9:08 p.m. that Brad R. Johnson, 25, 44 N. Caroline St., was lying unconscious on the road just south of Crystal Lake Avenue.
Emergency crews learned that Johnson had been operating a motorized longboard on the roadway and had lost control, falling onto the pavement.
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He was transported by ambulance to the hospital unconscious with head injuries.
Police have not written any citations yet as the incident is still under investigation, said Police Cmdr. Dan Dziewior.
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Police are still trying to determine what classification the longboard falls under.
The longboard — an oversized skateboard up to 5 feet long — had a 52 cc gasoline engine on the back, Dziewior said, although Johnson’s longboard was only about 4 feet long.
“Is it an off-road vehicle? Is it an all-terrain vehicle? Is it a motor vehicle?” Dziewior asked. “The first step is to work with the prosecutor’s office to come to some consensus as to what the heck is this thing.”
If it’s a motor vehicle, police will investigate whether Johnson was impaired while operating it.
If it's classified as a toy vehicle rather than a motor vehicle, city ordinances do not permit them on roadways in the downtown area or city business districts, Dziewior said.
“If anything, we may be looking at an ordinance violation. If State law doesn’t clearly define it, we will go with the city ordinance,” he said.
Police have interviewed Johnson, who remains at NIMC as of Wednesday evening. To his recollection, Johnson did not recall colliding with another motor vehicle when he fell. Dziewior had not seen the officers' report detailing the discussion with Johnson Wednesday evening.
Dziewior said longboards are popular with girls and older boarding enthusiasts as they are more stable and predictable than a smaller skateboard.
The gasoline-powered motor on Johnson’s skateboard was about the size of a football helmet, he said, and had the power of a motor found on typical a leaf-blower.
