Local skateboarding enthusiast Brandon Sealey died Tuesday night after a fall earlier this month at The Grind, the recently opened Spalding County skate park.

According to his cousin, Krissy Perdue, Sealey, 20, of Brooks, was skateboarding at the park when his skateboard went out from under him and he fell, hitting his head. He was taken to Spalding Regional Medical Center and then airlifted to Atlanta Medical Center. He was put in a medically induced coma to limit the damage from brain swelling, but the swelling was too great and his organs shut down.

"He really loved skateboarding," she said. "He lived his life the way he wanted to, he died doing what he loved."
She said her cousin had a loving nature.

"He loved everybody," she said. "No matter how old he got, he always said, 'I love you.'"

She described him as laid-back, even after the accident.
"The day all this happened, he was alert," she said.

She said that from his hospital bed, he offered $5 to anyone who could sneak him out of the hospital and asked his friends to be sure his skateboard wasn't lost.

Melissa Wade, owner of Adrenalin PowerSports, praised Sealey's character.
"He was a clean kid, didn't do drugs, didn't smoke, didn't drink," she said. "I trusted him so much, I took him to North Carolina last year" for a skating tournament.

Sealey represented Adrenalin in a skating tournament at The Grind to commemorate the opening of the park and took second place in a skating tournament at the local Wal-Mart parking lot.

"Everybody idolized him," Wade said. "He was one of the best skaters here in Griffin. He loved skateboarding, he lived for skateboarding."
At The Grind Wednesday afternoon, his friends gathered to honor him. A pair of wreaths hung on the fence surrounding the skate park with a sign reading "In Loving Memory of Brandon" with the words "Please Wear Your Helmet While You Skate" written underneath. Below the wreaths and sign sat a potted plant with several photos of Sealey in it.

"He's a good guy, hard-working," said his friend Taylor Bush.

Tyler Willis, another friend, agreed.
"Everybody who knew him, loved him," he said. "I think he'd be glad to see us all out here tonight. That's what he loved."

County Attorney Jim Fortune said Sealey's death was a sad occasion.

"It's just tragic, some young person like that getting killed in an accident," he said.
He said there are no rules requiring skateboarders at the park to wear helmets - there is a sign at The Grind that states the county strongly recommends and encourages wearing protective gear, including helmets, but they are not mandatory.

Perdue said Sealey's family strongly encourages all skateboarders to wear helmets.

"Those kids need to wear helmets," she said.
She said Sealey had been accepted into the Job Corps and was due to head to Kentucky in two weeks.

A fund originally set up at Bank of America to pay for his medical expenses will remain active, since the family has no health insurance and no way to pay for hospital and funeral expenses. Sealey's funeral will be at Haisten McCullough Funeral Home at 1 p.m. Saturday, and he will be buried at the Fairview Baptist Church Cemetery in Brooks.

There will be candlelight vigils in memory of Sealey nightly through Saturday at the skate park.