An Islander who was often seen longboarding down Vashon’s streets, his black dreadlocks flying behind him, was seriously injured on May 15 when he fell off his board during a fluke accident near Port Orchard.

Daniel Haag, 25, is in critical condition and has not regained consciousness since the accident 10 days ago, his sister Katie Haag said Monday. He’s been diagnosed with subdural hematoma, or bleeding in the brain due to a traumatic head injury.

Even so, she said, she’s optimistic that her brother will recover fully.

“His vital signs are good. He’s recovering. But he’s still in very critical shape,” she said.

David Warren, an Islander who employs Haag as a sawyer at the mill operated by Vashon Forest Stewards, also said he’s hopeful. Haag, when asked by the nurse to move a finger, did so recently, Warren said.

Still, Warren, like other Islanders who know the free-spirited man well, said he’s devastated by news of the accident.

“It’s such a terrible thing to have happen to such a wonderful guy,” Warren said. “He’s just a very sweet man. It’s a tragedy.”

Haag was with a good friend, celebrating another friend’s birthday in Port Orchard, when the accident occurred. The friend was in the lead when he heard a noise behind him, turned around and found Haag on the ground, Warren said. He was not wearing a helmet.

Medics arrived within minutes and took Haag to Bremerton, where he was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center, Warren said. There, he underwent hours of brain surgery. He remains in the Intensive Care Unit.

His parents arrived from Wisconsin, where Haag was born, Warren said. Other friends have also stayed by his side.

“Dan’s a huge success. He has so many friends. He’s loved,” Warren said.

Haag, who’s lived on Vashon seven or eight years, found his place on the Island, his sister said. She said he went through a stage where he was “almost overly philosophical” about life.

“Since he moved to Vashon, he’s been a lot more balanced in his views of the world,” she said.

Haag played a high-profile role on the Island a little more than a year ago, when he was one of a handful of Islanders who attempted to create a human blockade on the road near the Glacier Northwest site. He also took to the water to try to stop the corporation’s expansion of its mining operation, kayaking near the construction barge to halt the project.

Logan Price, who was a protester with Haag, said Haag is not a very politically active man. But he cares deeply about Vashon, Price said, a passion that led to his decision to engage in civil disobedience.

“He talks a lot about Vashon. As soon as he got here, he knew he wanted it to be his home,” Price said.

During the protests at the barge site, Price added, Haag “was one of the bravest kayakers we had.” During one protest, he spent hours in his kayak floating beneath the welding platform.

“They lowered it as low as they could above his head. He just stayed put,” Price recalled.

Bill Moyer, executive director of the Backbone Campaign, was also struck by Haag’s commitment to the Vashon community.

“He’s much more interested in community than in politics,” Moyer said. “His commitment was to the community and the Sound.”

Many people know and love Haag, he added. When he put a notice into Vashon’s Freecycle that he was looking for a CD player so that Haag could have music in his hospital room, “a number of people responded.”

“He is so vital. He is so strong. … I have some hope that if anybody can get through this, he can,” Moyer added.

Drop off CDs for Haag at the Backbone Campaign’s office, located in suite 106 in the Sheffield Building. Call Backbone at 408-8058 for more information.