The heir to a legendary Southern California surfing family has died days after he was severely injured in an e-bike accident.
Back on Saturday night, 20-year-old Kolby Aipa was involved in an accident after he lost control of his e-bike and crashed along the Pacific Coast Highway in Orange County’s coastal town of Huntington Beach, according to multiple reports. The Los Angeles Times reports the crash was then exacerbated because Kolby was hit by a car.
He was rushed to the UC Irvine Medical Center in the nearby city of Orange in critical condition. Over the next three days, he fought for his life there. But sadly, on Tuesday, he died.
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According to the US Sun, cops are still investigating the details of the accident and have yet to identify the driver of the car that struck Kolby. But his death has been HUGE news around SoCal, and across the surfing world.
Kolby’s grandfather Ben Aipa founded the popular surfing company Aipa Surfboards back in 1970. Ben is credited with creating the swallowtail and split-tail surfboard designs, as well. Ben even won the 1989 US Surfing Championship, and got inducted into the Surfing Hall of Fame back in 1992. He was so influential in the community that Surfing Magazine called him one of the top ten people to shape the sport when they did a look back in 2004.
Not only that, but Kolby’s dad Duke Aipa rode for the Huntington Beach Boardriders Club during 2019’s Usher Cup surfing competition. Duke, who has carried on the family company, is also credited with creating the Ahi Twin surfboard design. So, this is a really well-known family in the surfing world.
In a GoFundMe page that was originally published to help with Kolby’s medical expenses before he passed away on Tuesday, his family wrote:
“Kolby always had a way with touching the lives of whoever he met. His acts of kindness and caring was his gift of Aloha to friends and strangers alike. To everyone that reads this… pass his Aloha on. So, how Kolby treated you, treat others in that same way… In this you are continuing his legacy of Aloha. And you too can be like Kolby.”
And not long before Kolby’s death was announced, his mom Val Aipa shared a throwback video of her son blowing a kiss while out surfing the waves off Huntington Beach:
Kolby’s grieving dad also shared throwback pictures of his son as a young boy back in the day, as well:
So unimaginably sad. We can’t even begin to grapple with what this must feel like for the Aipa family.
You can visit the GoFundMe page for yourself HERE.
R.I.P.
[Image via Val Aipa/Instagram/GoFundMe]
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