Seattle man killed in Oregon on journey to dribble soccer ball to Brazil
May 14, 2013, 6:25 PM | Updated: 6:34 pm
In this photo from his Facebook page, Richard Swanson of Seattle is seen walking at the start of his journey to dribble a soccer ball to Brazil. He was hit and killed by a pickup truck Tuesday in Oregon. (Breakaway Brazil/Facebook)
(Breakaway Brazil/Facebook)
A Seattle man who planned to dribble a soccer ball from the Puget Sound to Brazil was hit and killed by a pickup truck in Oregon Tuesday, just two weeks after starting his journey.
Richard Swanson, 42, was walking on the shoulder of Highway 101 when a Nissan pickup truck struck him from behind, Lincoln City police spokesman Lt. Jerry Palmer said.
Swanson, a graphic designer and self-avowed soccer fanatic, had said on his website and Facebook page he planned to spend over a year traveling through North, Central and South America before arriving in Brazil for the 2014 World Cup.
“It will be a trip of a lifetime where I will push myself further than I ever thought possible,” he wrote.
Swanson was dribbling a “One World Futbol”, a special ball from a company that provides balls to children in disadvantaged places whenever someone buys one of their own.
In a YouTube video, Swanson said he had two sons, 22 and 18.
“He died doin’ what he loved and that’s the only consulation I have” said his son Devin in a Facebook post.
Police are still trying to determine the cause of the crash. The driver of the truck is reportedly cooperating with investigators.
