Two hurt in collision at Grand Haven Skate Park

Two people were taken by ambulance to the hospital after colliding in the bowl of the Grand Haven Skate Park early Tuesday afternoon. Bob Hammond, 28, of Grand Rapids and Nick Heil, 16, of Fruitport, were both alert and talking when they were taken away by North Ottawa Community Hospital ambulance and were going to be OK, said Grand Haven Department of Public Safety Officer Tom Winegar. Police and paramedics put Hammond and Neil on backboards and slid the stretchers up a ladder from the skating bowl.

Becky Vargo

Grand Haven

Jul 6, 2011

A NOCH official said the two were treated and released from the hospital.

“Bob came off the (west) edge and the other guy came off the other edge on a scooter,” said Matt Funnell, a friend of Hammond.

Hammond was on a bicycle and Heil was on the scooter.

“(Heil) ducked out and they collided,” Funnell said, adding that his friend was getting more coherent as time passed Tuesday.

Grand Haven resident Jack Northman said he goes to the skate park every day and “nobody ever really gets hurt” there. But this time, the riders didn’t see each other, he said.

People generally fall before coming in contact with another person, Grand Haven resident Andrew Swanson said. “They take care of themselves,” he said.

Northman and Swanson agreed that they hadn’t witnessed a major accident in the skate park in a long time.

Winegar said GHDPS has not had many incident reports at the skate park this summer.