Third generation Hermosan Doug Schneider died Saturday morning in a dirt bike accident in the desert. He was 47. Schneider had ridden his Kawasaki 450 to an area about 60 miles north of Barstow Friday morning with two dozen fellow dirt-bike riders. The annual outing was in memory of fellow off-roader Scott Pearson, of Torrance, who died two years ago of a heart attack, at age 41.
Saturday morning he rose early to prepare a burrito breakfast for his fellow riders. But first he decided to visit a nearby group of campers. Schneider had ridden his bike just a few hundred yards when the trail he was following crossed a dirt road and he collided with an off-road truck coming down the road.
“We don’t think it was anyone’s fault. They just didn’t see each other,” Schneider’s dad Bill said.
Jim Watson, a Hermosa Beach friend of Schneider’s, heard the crash and rushed with several fellow riders to the scene of the accident. They found Schneider unconscious and his helmet damaged, but otherwise there was little evidence of an accident. The friends speculated that Schneider laid his bike down in an effort to avoid the truck, but then went over the handlebars.
Watson said he called 911 and then the friends put Schneider on an improvised stretcher and drove him in the back of a truck for roughly 15 minutes to Highway 395. There, they were met by paramedics, who worked unsuccessfully to resuscitate Schneider.
Schneider had recently moved with his wife Christine and son Dylan to San Clemente, where he continued to live the beach lifestyle he had grown up with.
“He surfed at San Onofre every morning, then took Dylan to school. In the evenings, after work, he ran his dogs,” his dad said. “Last Wednesday, Doug was at my house on 24th Street. We were standing on the deck looking out at the surfers and he said, “It doesn’t get any better than this.’”
Schneider’s wide circle of friends included members of the band Pennywise, which is touring in Europe. During a performance Monday night at the O2 Academy concert hall in Brixton, England, the band sang its signature song “Bro Hymn” in Schneider’s memory.
At the start of the song, Pennywise singer Jim Lindberg tells the 8,000 screaming fans, “The band lost a very close friend in a dirt bike accident two days ago. Everyone in our hometown is very sad…I want you to help us sing ‘Bro Hymn.’ This one’s for you, Doug.”
In a Facebook posting, Lindberg wrote, “Doug was a great human being. Loved to talk as we all know. He loved using big words and me being an English major I loved him for it. He always spoke passionately about any subject. Loved life. Great athlete. Great guy. Another South Bay original.”
Schneider attended Hermosa Beach schools, Mira Costa High School and UCLA, where he played volleyball.
A paddleout in memory of Schneider will be held Sunday, November 16, at 9 a.m., at 24th Street in Hermosa.
On Monday, memorial a Mass will be be said at American Martyrs Catholic Church at 1:30 p.m.
In addition to his wife Christine and son Dylan, Schneider is survived by his parents June and Bill, stepmother Chris, Christine’s parents Myra and Gary, brother Stuart, sisters Jane and Erica, and brothers-in-law Wes and Jeff. He is also survived by his uncle, numerous aunts, nephews and cousins.
In lieu of flowers, an educational fund has been established for Schneider’s son. Checks may be made payable to Dylan Kai Schneider, acct 0224, and sent to Bank of America, 90 Pier Avenue, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254. ER
