D.J. Epperson Obituary

D.J. Epperson attended Papillion-la Vista High School in Papillion, NE. View the obituary, post a memory, or share a photo about D.j. Epperson.

Graduation Year	Class of 2010
Date of Passing	Oct 09, 2006
About	(no additional information)
Events	D.J. Epperson (2010) 1993-oct 2006 Skateboarding Accident- Oct 09, 2006The family of 13-year-old D.J. Epperson says the teenager has died after a weekend skateboarding accident. The teenager suffered a head injury. Initial reports from Bellevue police said the boy died Sunday, but Monday morning a hospital spokesperson said D.J. remained on life support. Monday afternoon, the teenager's family issued a statement through D.J.'s school, Papillion-La Vista Jr. High, saying that he had died. "The family has asked us to share that D.J. had a passion for life; that he died doing what he enjoyed. He lived life full-throttle and his friends were with him," said school spokesperson Annette Eyman. The accident happened when D.J. and two other children were skateboarding Saturday on a street in a Bellevue subdivision. Police Chief John Stacey said the boy collided with another skateboarder and started feeling dizzy as he stood up. Stacey said the boy then fell backward and struck his head on the pavement. He was taken to the hospital trauma center, where his condition deteriorated. The skateboarder who collided with the boy did not require medical attention. Classmates and teachers are remembering D.J. as a well-liked student. "He was involved in chorus at the school," Eyman said. "The principal and the teachers told us he was a popular kid, well-liked by everyone, just a great all-around student and everyone's very saddened by this horrible tragedy." There were crisis counselors available at Papillion Jr. High today to help students deal with the tragedy. Epperson's sister attends Papillion-La Vista South and his younger brother is a third grader. Counselors were also available at their schools. Bellevue police say Epperson was not wearing a helmet when the accident happened. Dr. John Andresen says it is important to get children to protect themselves even if they don't like wearing helmets. "Children feel like it's not cool. It doesn't look cool, but it's very, very important to wear a helmet when you're riding a bike, skate boarding, roller blading, any activity like that," Dr. Andresen said. "If you start them young it becomes a habit." Dr. Andresen says it is also important to make sure children have safety equipment that fits. He says a helmet that is too loose or doesn't fit properly will not offer much protectio