‘Always smiling’ teen is hit and killed by train while walking to school, NC cops say
A 16-year-old boy known for his smile and love for skateboarding died in a train crash, officials said.
The 10th-grader was walking to school when a train hit him Friday, April 21, according to the Kannapolis Police Department in North Carolina.
The student has been identified as Kolby Smith, according to an online obituary on the Whitley’s Funeral Home website.
Now, A.L. Brown High School is mourning the “tragic accident” that claimed the life of Kolby, a student remembered for his friendliness.
“I don’t know that he met a stranger,” Principal Sara Newell told WBTV. “If someone wanted to have a friend in Kolby, they found a friend in Kolby.”
He died after police said two 10th-graders were crossing railroad tracks and discovered a train was coming.
“One of the students was able to get off the tracks and was not injured,” officers wrote in a news release. “Unfortunately, the other student was struck by the train and died at the scene of his injuries.”
Kolby is remembered as a “fearless” teen who had an “infectious” personality, according to the online obituary and WSOC.
“He is in theater, and one of the pictures the kids showed this morning was him dressed up in all different outfits and being a goofball, but taking theater seriously,” Newell said in an April 24 news report. “He wanted to be good at what he was doing.”
After Kolby’s death, A.L. Brown High School in a Facebook post said it sent students an email with resources about grief-related support. The school also shared plans for a balloon release and vigil to be held in the teen’s memory.
“Always smiling, he was kind, respectful and had a positive outlook on life,” his obituary said. “Gone too soon, Kolby will be greatly missed by his family, friends and all who knew and loved him.”
A.L. Brown High School is in Kannapolis, roughly 25 miles northeast of Charlotte.
This story was originally published April 25, 2023 at 2:14 PM with the headline "‘Always smiling’ teen is hit and killed by train while walking to school, NC cops say."
