UPDATED: (09/24 6:30 p.m.)
Friends and family are mourning the loss of an 18-year-old killed by a train early Sunday morning.
Police say Colby Anderson was with three other friends in North Fargo when he crossed the tracks and was hit.
Friend Anthony Schnabel remembers what it was like finding out that one of his best friends had been killed. "Getting the phone call...not knowing really what was going on. It was just really hard to hear about it," says Schnabel.
A simple memorial marks the site near the 12th Avenue viaduct where tragedy struck. Friends, including Schnabel and Ben Osman stand by, remembering the life of Anderson.
"He was just such a loving person," says Osman.
Anderson had a special place in his heart for family. Schnabel says, "He loved being with his dad, especially in his garage. They built a bond that was probably the strongest bond anybody could ever have between two people." Osman adds, "He loved his family more than I've ever known someone to love their family."
That special place was also open for Anderson's friends. Osman, Schnabel and Anderson all chose to go to NDSU after graduating this past spring from Fargo North High School.
Osman and Schnabel say he was a guy they could depend on in any situation. "He pulled my suburban out of the ditch several times," says Osman.
For those two and many others, though, losing him still has not sunk in. Osman says, "I still expect to go back to the dorm and see him sitting there."
Despite what happened, Anderson's friends want people to know him for more than just the man killed by a train. They want his legacy of love and loyalty to live on in the hearts and minds of all.
Schnabel says, "He definitely will leave a place in everyone's heart, and we'll always remember him."
Investigators say alcohol appears to have played a factor in this incident and have not ruled out charges for the person who may have provided Anderson with alcohol.
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Friends are remembering 18-year-old Colby Anderson, who, according to police, was killed when he was hit by a train early Sunday morning.
It happened around 3 a.m. near 12th Avenue and Dakota Drive, just west of the NDSU campus.
Fargo Police say Anderson was crossing the tracks with three others when he was hit by Amtrak's Empire Builder. Anderson died at the scene.
Lt. Joel Vettel says alcohol may have been a factor.
Friends of the Fargo North graduate and NDSU student say Colby was an incredible person.
One friend wrote on Facebook:
"I've known him since he was in kindergarten, and my brother was one of his best friends. Over the years, he's been around my house a lot and I've gotten to know him really well and I see him as a little brother. He was sweet and really easy to talk to. He loves vehicles of all sorts and spent a lot of time working on cars with his dad. He was his dad's whole world. Him and his dad were so similar and were best friends. He was a really great kid. Everybody loves him. I walked into the Northport Hornbacher's yesterday and ran into more people than you could imagine crying over the loss. He meant a lot to a lot of people."
Anderson's former principal at Fargo North Andy Dahlen says Colby was a great student. He says Colby had a nice sense of humor, was a smart kid and had lots of friends.
Dahlen says a message was read to students at North High Monday morning. The school is making counselors available for all students should they need to talk to someone.
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