A Seattle man trying to dribble a soccer ball 10,000 miles to Brazil in time for the 2014 World Cup died Tuesday after being hit by a pickup truck on the Oregon Coast.
Police in Lincoln City, Ore., said Richard Swanson, 42, was hit at about 10 a.m. walking south along Highway 101 near the city limits. He was declared dead at a hospital. The driver has not been charged.
Lt. Jerry Palmer said investigators found materials among Swanson’s things listing his website,breakawaybrazil.com.
Swanson set out May 1 on the trek to promote the One World Futbol Project, based in Berkley, Calif., which donates durable soccer balls to people in developing countries. The company did not immediately respond to a call for comment.
Police said Palmer’s soccer ball was recovered.
In an interview with The Daily News newspaper in Longview, Swanson said he was a private investigator looking for an adventure while between jobs. An avid runner, he picked up soccer just five years ago and played on club teams and rooted for the Seattle Sounders.
“I felt destined that I should go on this trip,” he said.
“It will be a trip of a lifetime where I will push myself further than I ever thought possible,” he wrote. (Actually he got pushed very far by a pick up truck!)
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