An avid Simi Valley skateboarder has died of skull fractures after he sped down a steep rural street, lost control of his board and landed on his head, the Ventura County coroner's office said Wednesday.

Nicholas Dulcich, 23, apparently had been drinking before he crashed, but blood test results are several weeks away, said coroner's investigator Craig Stevens.

A passer-by found Dulcich face-down on Flanagan Drive in the city's Indian Hills subdivision just after midnight on Tuesday morning and called authorities, Stevens said. About 12 hours later, Dulcich died of head injuries in the intensive care unit of Simi Valley Hospital, Stevens said.

"His skateboard was found 66 feet down the hill past him," he said. "It appears he may have been under the influence of alcohol. . . . Police officers and ambulance personnel noticed the odor of alcohol on him."

Close friends said Dulcich was a talented, hard-core surfer and skateboarder who was never reckless, always in control--and that the long, smooth run down Flanagan Drive was one of his favorites.

They said Dulcich had drunk a few beers with them late Monday, but speculated that a rock in the road or a car probably was what caused him to lose control. Police said there was no indication that Dulcich was struck by a car, but friends said an oncoming car may have forced him to stop slaloming and take a faster, more dangerous course straight down the hill.

"I don't think it had anything to do with alcohol," said Derek Bauerle, a close friend who said he had known Dulcich since they were both 4 years old. "I can tell you now he's skated that hill a lot drunker. . . . He was the best on a skateboard out of any of us."

Dulcich was between jobs, having worked in restaurants, construction and maintenance, friends said. But he lived to surf and skateboard, they said.

"He could skate better than he could walk," said Dave Katler, another close friend.

Katler said he and Dulcich left the Tree House Sports Bar and Grill before midnight and spent at least two hours hiking around caves in eastern Simi Valley before he drove Dulcich to the top of one of Indian Hills' winding streets and dropped him off for the long ride to the bottom.

"I said, 'Nick, do you want me to follow you home?' " Katler recalled. "He said, 'No, I'm going to take it slow,' " because it was only a short distance from the bottom of the hill to his house, Katler said.