KINGSTON -- Police said Saturday that a teenager has died after he was hit by a car while skateboarding Wednesday night.
The wreck happened at the intersection of Maple Street and West Market Street around 9:30 p.m.
Authorities said the victim, William Moore, 18, of Luzerne, was not wearing a helmet.
Wyoming Valley West School District Superintendent Charles Suppon told Newswatch 16 that guidance counselors are available to talk with students, because the victim is a former student of the high school in Plymouth.
“It’s surreal and when it happens, quite often, students are fragile at this point. We’ve got to be there as a support system for the students,” said Suppon. “His sister plays on the girl’s field hockey team that won the district championship last night.”
Wyoming Valley West beat Couglin during the game at Nesbitt Stadium on the campus of Wyoming Seminary, just a few blocks away and around the same time as the crash.
Jerry Bartleson rides his bicycle on that stretch of West Market Street several times a week, and believes that bicyclists and skateboarders often get an unfair reputation.
“A majority of people that drive and see bike riders and skateboarders, they think they're just going to do what they want because they have the right of way,” said Bartleson. “Not all of us think we can disobey the law because we can.”
Kingston police said the driver of the car that hit the skateboarder is cooperating, and they took a blood sample from the driver as part of their investigation.