Midshipman Dies After Skateboarding Accident on Assateague

Midshipman Dies After Skateboarding Accident on Assateague
midshipman hans loewen imbedded

ASSATEAGUE — A Naval Academy midshipman severely injured in a skateboarding accident at Assateague State Park back on March 22 passed away while in a coma at the University of Maryland Medical Center Shock Trauma on Saturday.

Midshipman Third Class Hans Loewen, 20, of Hampstead, N.C., passed away on Saturday at Shock Trauma six days after he sustained injuries in a skateboarding accident while on liberty away from the academy on March 22. Loewen was camping at Assateague State Park with other midshipmen when he sustained the injuries while skateboarding. After initial treatment on the scene by local emergency personnel, Loewen was transported to Shock Trauma in Baltimore.

A York, Pa. man who was camping at the Assateague Island National Seashore that weekend said he observed three young men taking turns being pulled on a skateboard behind a jeep that Saturday evening. He said he didn’t think much of it at the time because it just appeared to be three young men horsing around and not harming themselves or others.

He did say a small crowd had gathered to watch the display, but he left around dusk, or about 8 p.m., and didn’t learn of the tragic accident until the next day. When he and his wife drove out of the national park, the road where the young men had been horsing around was blocked off as crews cleared the roadway. He said he thought at the time one of the famed horses or perhaps one of the hundreds of sika deer he had seen in the same area the day before had been hit by a vehicle, but learned the real story later that day.

In the days following the accident, Loewen’s family remained at his bedside and was supported by friends, midshipmen and Naval Academy leadership.

“My wife Barbara and I join the Brigade, staff and faculty in mourning the loss of Midshipman Hans Loewen,” said Naval Academy Superintendent Vice Admiral Michael Miller in a statement. “Hans was a vibrant midshipman who loved his life to the fullest and that spirit will forever be imprinted in his classmates and the Naval Academy. As we celebrate Hans’ courage and commitment, we also come together in support for his family and friends, and all who were touched by his presence. Our heartfelt sympathies go out to the Loewens and our extended USNA family during this very difficult time.”

Loewen, a sophomore, was an oceanography major in the 7th Company at the Academy and his extracurricular activities included the Adventure Racing Team, the American Nuclear Society and the Rock Climbing Club. According to his family’s Caring Bridge memorial page, Loewen was a calculated risk taker, attacking his many passions with intensity and preparation including kite surfing, rock climbing, downhill longboarding, surfing, paddle boarding, mountain climbing, mountain biking and several others.

“He researches each of his passions and when he engages in it, he does it with calculated intensity,” the memorial page reads. “On Saturday, March 22, Hans miscalculated a bit as he was engaging in one of his many extreme sports and suffered a devastating brain injury, despite wearing a helmet, after skateboarding beside a slowly moving vehicle and falling beneath its rear wheel.”

The Naval Academy will continue to support Loewen’s family, friends and loved ones during this time of grief. Grief counseling services and support are available to midshipmen, faculty and staff through chains of command, chaplains and the Midshipmen Development Center.

Loewen was the second USNA midshipman to pass away in the span of less than a week. Midshipman Will McKamey, 19, of Knoxville, Tenn., died while in a coma at Shock Trauma on March 26 three days after collapsing during a Navy spring football practice. The freshman running back collapsed on the field and was airlifted to Shock Trauma in Baltimore where he passed three days later.