Man killed in North County crash was famed skateboarder

A 70-year-old motorcyclist who died Friday in a North County highway crash was a fixture in the skateboarding world whose lifelong passion attracted fans locally and abroad. 

Victor Earhart did not allow his age to stop him from skateboarding down steep slopes on dirt or asphalt. Online photographs and videos of the Ramona resident in action — his wild, white hair and beard blowing in the air — made him a renowned figure.

His greatest impact was being an ambassador of skateboarding, said Dennis Telfer, co-founder of Sector 9, a San Diego-based skateboarding company. 

“He loved to share his passion. He was someone who, if you saw him, loved to stop and talk skateboarding with you. No matter how old or young you were,” Telfer said. 

Sector 9, Earhart’s workplace for 15 years, announced his death Monday on social media and in a blog post titled “Legends Never Die.” 

“People are taking it pretty hard,” Telfer said. “There were a lot of tears (at Sector 9) today.”

Over the years, Earhart worked in the company’s shipping and manufacturing departments. He retired last year.

"You can see by all the posts on social media, he was loved," Telfer said.

On Friday, Earhart was riding his 1973 Honda 350 motorcycle south on state Route 79 near Lake Henshaw about 9 a.m. when he struck a car that drove into his path, the California Highway Patrol said.

The driver of the Toyota Prius had been at a stop sign and did not see Earhart when he turned north onto Route 79 from east state Route 76, the CHP said. 

The impact of the crash threw Earhart onto the road. An off-duty San Diego police officer came across the collision and tried to save him.

Earhart, who leaves behind a girlfriend of 20 years and her daughter, was described as an introvert who had few friends in San Diego until he became a notable figure. And for those grew close to him, age was just a number, Telfer said. 

“He was one of those guys that if you got to know him, you really got to know him,” Telfer said. “The young guys were separated by 40-plus years but would still go skate with him on a regular basis.”

Motivated by Earhart’s enduring passion for skateboarding, Jeff Budro began filming and photographing him around 2008. When posted online, the content went viral across the globe. 

“I think people saw that and used that as inspiration, whether it was skateboarders or skateboarding enthusiasts,” said Budro, a professional skateboarder who works at Sector 9 as a video editor, among other roles.

About the time Earhart began popping up on the internet, a cellphone company in Norway featured footage of Earhart in one of their ads, Budro said. Some time later, he got a call from Earhart, who told him Norwegian tourists recognized him at a local coffee shop. 

Three years ago, at age 68, Earhart flew on an airplane for the first time, accompanying the Sector 9 team to Puerto Rico for a skateboarding event. During the trip, fans rushed up to him to ask for photographs, Budro said.

Although he didn’t aim to be popular, the esteem he won made him happy, Budro said.

“It gave him a second wind in life,” he said.

Sector 9 plans to organize a skateboarding event in San Diego to honor Earhart’s life. 

Twitter: @D4VIDHernandez