The family of skateboarder John Barker—a Little Rock native who died in 2017 after a traumatic brain injury sustained in a skateboarding fall—has developed an initiative with the Arkansas Children’s Hospital Injury Prevention Center to distribute helmets to skateboarders at no cost.
Skateboarders can access the helmets by visiting https://johnbarkerlovesyou.com.
At an event at Little Rock’s Kanis Skatepark, the Barker family encouraged skateboarders to take advantage of the opportunity in their son’s memory.
“We want to protect young people’s lives and health, and to spare other families the loss we have experienced,” said John’s mother, Patty Barker.
Skateboarding injuries have increased as the sport has become more popular and competitive, and as complexity of stunts and skateboard construction materials have evolved.
In 2015, more than 125,000 people were treated in hospital emergency rooms after being injured skateboarding. More than half of those injured were ages 14 to 24, and about one-third were between the ages of 5 and 14, according to Injury Facts 2017, the annual statistical report on unintentional injuries produced by the National Safety Council. The most serious of these cases were traumatic brain injuries.
“We can prevent the most serious traumatic brain injuries in skateboard crashes with the simple act of wearing a helmet,” said Mary Aitken, MD, FAAP, director of the Injury Prevention Center at Arkansas Children’s Hospital and a professor of Pediatrics in the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) College of Medicine. “We’re grateful that the Barker family is helping us reach the skateboarding community directly with this important message.”
On March 30, 2017, John Patrick Barker suffered a severe traumatic brain injury after a skateboarding fall in San Francisco, Cal. No other vehicles or people were involved. Two days later, he passed away from the injuries he sustained.
John was only 20 years old. Growing up in Little Rock, he was a graduate of Central High School as a member of the Cum Laude Society and the National Honor Society. He won the “Most School Spirit” award for his senior class and received a scholarship to attend the University of San Francisco.
To prevent future injuries and deaths from skateboarding and reduce risks associated with skateboarding injuries, the Barker family established a helmet and education fund in his memory through the Arkansas Children’s Hospital Injury Prevention Center.