Panamark
04-18-2010, 10:32 AM
- Man rode wheelie bin down steep hill
-Thrown against tree after hitting gutter
- "He was laughing the whole way down"
TO his mates, John Peake was an "extreme dude" who loved a cold beer and a good laugh.
He lived life to the limits and enjoyed surfing or skateboarding whenever he had the chance.
So when seven mates lined two wheelie bins up at the top of a steep hill at 3am yesterday after a night of drinking, Peake, 22, was among them.
"He was laughing the whole way down," friend David Gorrel, 21, told The Daily Telegraph. "Our mate, he died laughing."
Peake, of Umina, died when he hit a gutter and slammed headfirst into a tree while riding the wheelie bin 300m down Lone Pine Ave, in Umina Beach, NSW.
The quiet street is popular with youngsters who test their courage by riding bicycles, scooters or wheelie bins down the steep gradient.
Police said that Mr Peake, who worked as a driller at the Entrance, was lying flat on the wheelie bin.
His friend Sean Gale, 19, also of Umina, was lying on top of him.
Another young man, who rode a second bin alone, survived the steep descent, only realising his mates had crashed when he reached the bottom of the hill without them.
Mr Peake's friends tried desperately to revive him at the scene. He was pronounced dead a short time later at Gosford Hospital.
Mr Gale suffered broken ribs and other internal injuries.
-Thrown against tree after hitting gutter
- "He was laughing the whole way down"
TO his mates, John Peake was an "extreme dude" who loved a cold beer and a good laugh.
He lived life to the limits and enjoyed surfing or skateboarding whenever he had the chance.
So when seven mates lined two wheelie bins up at the top of a steep hill at 3am yesterday after a night of drinking, Peake, 22, was among them.
"He was laughing the whole way down," friend David Gorrel, 21, told The Daily Telegraph. "Our mate, he died laughing."
Peake, of Umina, died when he hit a gutter and slammed headfirst into a tree while riding the wheelie bin 300m down Lone Pine Ave, in Umina Beach, NSW.
The quiet street is popular with youngsters who test their courage by riding bicycles, scooters or wheelie bins down the steep gradient.
Police said that Mr Peake, who worked as a driller at the Entrance, was lying flat on the wheelie bin.
His friend Sean Gale, 19, also of Umina, was lying on top of him.
Another young man, who rode a second bin alone, survived the steep descent, only realising his mates had crashed when he reached the bottom of the hill without them.
Mr Peake's friends tried desperately to revive him at the scene. He was pronounced dead a short time later at Gosford Hospital.
Mr Gale suffered broken ribs and other internal injuries.