Las Vegas Sun

November 14, 2009

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Sparks youth injured in dangerous sport

Thursday, Aug. 31, 2000 | 10:12 a.m.

Joshua Donaldson, 16, was injured Wednesday when he fell off the side of a pickup truck on a residential street in Sparks.

Police Sgt. Mike Cardella said the truck was doing 15 to 20 miles an hour and Donaldson was road surfing.

"Kids stand on the hood or tailgate of a car and kind of surf," he said. "I guess it is catching on here."

A group of Reed High School students interviewed during the lunch break Wednesday said road surfing is a fairly common way to spend an afternoon. Donaldson is a sophomore at Reed.

"It's pretty cool actually," said freshman Joseph Brown. "It's kind of like an extreme sport."

Brown said he and his friends usually road surf in the desert, rather than on city streets. Brown also wears shoulder pads and other protective gear, but admits the danger is part of the thrill.

"I don't want to take all of the fun out of it," he said. "If I get ran over, I'm pretty much toast anyway. I fell off once and busted myself up pretty good."

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