SEATTLE — The story of a Seattle man who suffered a traumatic brain injury after crashing his skateboard while not wearing a helmet is opening up old wounds for two mothers.
Darcy Mugartegui and Sandra Lee's sons were jocks who both wanted to be public servants and loved skateboarding, but now the mothers share another bond: both of their sons died in skateboard crashes.
Neither of the young men wore a helmet.
Mugartegui’s son was 23 when he fell off his skateboard while riding in New Zealand in 2014.
Zac Lee, who was a U.S. Marine, was 19 when he crashed and died in 1995.
"I'm not the same person I was before Zac's accident,” said Lee, who shares family photos with people she sees riding skateboards without a helmet.
“I just want to scream at them and say, 'This is what you're leaving behind,'" said Lee.
Mugartegui hands out index cards with Charlie’s picture and story to skaters at parks.
"I ask them if somebody loves them, ‘Do you have a family member who would care if you weren't here?'" asked Mugartegui.
They’ve been trying to change the culture around skateboarding and helmet use for years.
It's a challenge Aidan Schellings' family has taken on since the 19-year-old crashed at Greenlake in April.
He was not wearing a helmet and suffered a fractured skull and traumatic brain injury.
Doctors thought he might not walk or talk again, but Aidan is improving at a Denver hospital. But his mother said he will never be the same.
She wants his story to teach others a lesson: wear a helmet.
“How cool is it to have half your skull missing?” asked Aidan’s mother, Rebecca Schellings.