A 17-year-old girl who suffered serious head injuries when she fell off her skateboard on a Kailua street Friday was the third youthful victim of a skating incident on Oahu in a week.

Paramedics responded to the emergency call on Akiohala Street near Akipola Street in Enchanted Lake at 11:55 a.m., a spokeswoman for the city Department of Emergency Services said.

Several residents said the street, which leads from the chained, back gate of Kailua High School and is on a downward slope, sees a multitude of skateboarders each day.

Larry Olsen, who lives at Akiohala and Akipola, said Akiohala’s width, which makes it seem almost like a four-lane street, also makes it popular among youths.

Olsen, 68, said he’s not sure how the situation could have been prevented.

"I used to do all the kinds of crazy things that kids did when I was young," he said. "What are you going to do, take away the skateboards from the kids?"

Skateboarders at nearby Keolu Skate Park had mixed feelings about the accident.

Bronson Iwaishi, 17, of Keolu, said downhill skateboarding is dangerous, especially for inexperienced riders.

"They should at least be wearing a helmet, and wrist pads," said Iwaishi, a daily visitor to the skate park.

Chan Medeiros, 26, another skate park regular, agreed.

"If you’re not experienced, don’t chance going down hills," she said.

It was the third crash involving a skater that led to a major injury on Oahu last week. All were reportedly coming down a slope or hill.

On Tuesday, a 13-year-old boy was hospitalized after falling while skating in Hauula.

An 11-year-old Salt Lake boy suffered head and leg injuries after hitting a Handi-Van while riding a skateboard down a hill on Likini Street in Salt Lake on Monday.

In May, Hawaii Pacific University basketball player Kameron Steinhoff was killed riding his skateboard down a large hill near his home in Kaneohe. He fell and hit his head. He wasn’t wearing a helmet and never regained consciousness.

Joseph Willett, 26, a visitor from Petaluma, Calif., said he tries to stick to skate parks and encourages younger riders to do the same. In two weeks on Oahu, Willett said he’s visited skate parks in Aala, Hawaii Kai and elsewhere.

"For the size of this island, I think you guys are doing pretty good" in terms of the number of skate parks per capita. "But there’s definitely room for more."

Often, youths ride on the street because they have no choice, he said. "For some kids, the only option is down the street."

Willett said skateboarding should be encouraged and establishing safe places where youths can go is important.

"It’s a healthy sport, it’s good for social reasons and it keeps you out of trouble," he said. "You can’t be skateboarding if you’re drunk or anything like that."