Skateboarder Struck by SUV

Ethan Seavey has been a diehard skaterboarder for six years, first when he lived in Rochester and now after he and his family moved to Portsmouth.

The 14-year-old city teen "I was skateboarding with a friend on Wednesday afternoon down Chestnut Street and across Congress Street to get the Vaughn Mall pedestrian strip when he was struck by an SUV in front of the Friendly Toast restaurant.

Portsmouth firefighters and police officers rushed to the scene fearing the worst. But somehow Seavey suffered very minor injuries, was conscious, standing and talking about his near brush with death.

"I was coming down the street and I came across the crosswalk and everyone else stopped except one car that kept going," Seavey said.

He believes it was going about five- to 10 miles per hour when it struck his upper body, chest and right shoulder. The impact of the collision dented the front hood of the SUV, but Seavey somehow escaped any serious injuries. Seavey was not wearing a helmet or any other protective gear.

"I've gone down a couple of times and I've never had any problems," Seavey said. "I've been tripped by a car that came to a stop sign in Rochester."

Portsmouth Police Officer Andre Wassouf told Seavey that what he was doing was pretty reckless and hoped that he learned his lesson.

Seavey said he still plans to skateboard on city streets, but in the future he said he would "not go across the street without locating and stopping before the end of it."

Seavey's mother arrived a short time later and took her son to Portsmouth Regional Hospital to be examined to make sure he didn't suffer any serious injuries.