A man who was planning to dribble a soccer ball from Seattle to Brazil for the 2014 World Cup died on Tuesday after being hit by a car just 14 days into his trip.
42-year-old Richard Swanson was walking down highway 101 in south Lincoln City, Ore., when he was hit by a car from behind around 10:00 a.m. Tuesday morning, according to The News Guard. He was transported to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. The driver stopped after hitting Swanson and was cooperating with police.
A father of two adult sons, Swanson lost his job as a graphic designer last year and had trouble finding another job. In a video posted on the site where he was chronicling his trip, the Seattle native explained that he was bummed out and thinking about what he wanted out of life. He said one thing he wanted to do was see a World Cup. So without having too many responsibilities like a job and kids to raise, he decided to sell his house and make the trip to Sao Paulo for the 2014 World Cup.
“Screw what happens, I don’t even care,” Swanson said of the plan, via Dirty Tackle. “As crazy as the idea sounds, that idea spurred on to the next leg of ‘Well, since I’m going to the World Cup, I should honor it by dribbling a soccer ball.’ Which even makes the trip even more crazy.”
On the about page for his website, Swanson wrote:
I’m heading off for this amazing adventure on May 1st 2013 to dribble a One World Futbol from Seattle to Brazil. I will spend over a year traveling through North America, Central America, and South America before arriving in Brazil for the 2014 World Cup . I will visit eleven countries (Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, and finally Brazil). The trip will finish in Sao Paulo, Brazil where the first game of the World Cup will be held. It will be a trip of a lifetime where I will push myself further then I ever thought possible.
Cheers,
Richard Swanson
He was only 14 days and two states into his journey before being killed.
Below is Swanson’s introductory video:
