Teenager killed in Palos Verdes skateboarding crash

A photo memorial to Sandro McIlroy is signed by South Bay Boardriders surfers at The Surf Concepts contest last Saturday in El Porto

Sandro McIlroy at a South Bay Boardriders Club contest in 2016. Photo by Steve Gaffney

A Manhattan Beach teenager was killed last Friday in Palos Verdes Estates when he lost control while skateboarding alongside a car.

Sandro McIlroy, 15, was pronounced dead at Torrance Memorial Hospital on April 7, after responders transported him from the scene of the incident, on the 500 block of Epping Road.

He was not wearing a helmet.

According to PVEPD Sgt. Steve Barber, McIlroy is believed to have been hitching a ride by holding onto a friend’s Jeep when he lost control. Police arrived on scene shortly after 7:33 p.m. Paramedics attempted to treat him at the scene, recovering his pulse, but he was pronounced dead upon arrival to the hospital.

“We’re not sure exactly how it happened; he may have lost control, lost his balance, or he may have struck the rear tire of the vehicle and went down,” Barber said.

Skateboarding on the road is illegal according to Palos Verdes Estate’s municipal code, and since McIlroy was under the age of 18, he was required to wear a helmet under the California Vehicle Code.

Both the driver and the passenger of the car are juvenile females. California Highway Patrol is investigating, and has not yet determined if either will be charged.

South Bay Boardriders Club president Tom Horton did not know McIlroy well, but saw him as a young man who lived with joy. He recalled a contest where the club put out waterslides on the beach.

“He was the guy going the farthest and the fastest — he almost took out the photographer who was taking pictures of the kids,” Horton said. “He was just one of those full-of-life kids.”

A paddleout in McIlroy’s honor will take place at the Manhattan Beach Pier on April 17 at 7 p.m. ER

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