Teen skateboarder who died after being hit in traffic was homeless, officials say

A teenage boy is dead after he tried to avoid a skateboarding accident Wednesday evening and was hit by a pickup truck on Lancaster Avenue, police and witnesses said.

Christafer Gardner, 16, was riding his skateboard with a friend down a hill on Chester Street shortly before 6 p.m. and was unable to stop before entering traffic on Lancaster, they said.

Police said the teen tried to jump from his skateboard to avoid entering the intersection.

"His momentum carried him into the roadway, where he was struck by a vehicle," police spokesman Jimmy Pollozani said.

A manager and an assistant manager at the nearby Humane Society of North Texas came out and performed CPR on the youth until emergency crews arrived, said Cassie Lackey, the Humane Society spokeswoman.

"It's really tragic, and our hearts go out to the family," she said. "It was just a horrific thing to have happen outside our building."

A man named Ricky Vazquez said via email that he also helped perform CPR on Gardner.

"The vehicle in front just slammed his brakes, so I pulled to the side, and I just see him there motionless," Vazquez said of Gardner. "I ran to his side as well as another lady. ... I checked for a pulse and breath and it was nothing. The lady started CPR and we switched."

Vazquez said Gardner was bleeding profusely from his head.

"After about five minutes, we got a breath," he said. "Then, 30 seconds later, it was like I felt his spirit leave.

"I've been crying off and on since," Vazquez said.

Gardner was staying across the street at the Salvation Army, said spokesman Pat Patey. The boy's father and stepmother were also staying there.

Humane Society employees said they believed his friend was as well, but Salvation Army employees could not confirm that on Thursday.

"It was a terrible tragedy," Patey said. "They left our center and it was unbeknownst to us what happened."

"We are supporting the family through their loss," said Becky Wach, Salvation Army executive director.

Lackey said Gardner's father and stepmother were nearby at the time, and the father had told the boys to stop riding their skateboards.

The other boy was unhurt but left the scene of the accident afterward, said Claudia Zamora, an employee of the East Lancaster Animal Hospital.

Gardner was taken to John Peter Smith Hospital, where he was pronounced dead in the operating room shortly after 7:30 p.m., according to officials.

There are no criminal charges pending against the driver of the vehicle, Pollozani said.

This story was originally published June 21, 2018 at 7:45 AM with the headline "Teen skateboarder who died after being hit in traffic was homeless, officials say."