Young man killed by hit-and-run driver was well-loved

MARYSVILLE — Matthew Colson was well loved. That is obvious looking at his Facebook page, with dozens of comments from friends and family mourning his death.

Colson, 24, died in a hospital Sunday after being hit by a dark SUV Saturday around 7:40 p.m. while crossing 64th Street Northeast near 58th Drive. He was not in a crosswalk and was wearing dark clothes.

Colson’s mom, Kim, put an emotional message on her son’s Facebook site.

She talks about what a fighter he was. She recalled the skateboarding accident April 22, 2006 when he suffered traumatic brain injury. He was only 12 and in the fifth grade.

She said how proud of him she is having to relearn how to do everything working through therapy for years to recover from that.

“He never gave up. He was an inspiration to all of us,” she says.

All of his friends talk about how full of love he was – kind and a good listener. “Just knowing him brought joy to you,” Marion Colson, Jr. told KOMO News. ”He’s just one of those kinds of people.”

“We love you Matt, you gave it your all,” Kim’s entry adds. “I look forward to the day that we embrace again.”

Looking for driver

Sgt. Pete Shove said Tuesday that police are going through various video available in the area to find out exactly what happened.

“We’re still processing it, grinding away at it,” he said.

The driver of the SUV is still unknown.

“We encourage the person to come forward,” Shove said. He added along with the grief the victim’s family is feeling, the driver also must be going through some stressful stuff as well.

“Let’s talk about it, work it out,” Shove said.

Anyone with information about it can call Marysville police at 360-363-8300.

Do the right thing

When he was younger, Colson loved going to the Arlington Skate Park. He had been in Running Start at Everett Community College and studied business. He had worked as a crew member at Carl’s Jr. He loved art and music. Colson couldn’t drive so he walked everywhere. He was out for a walk when the hit-and-run occurred.

The Colsons told KOMO they aren’t angry at the driver. They just want that person to do the right thing and come forward.

“We don’t wish anything bad to the person that did this and drove away. We don’t. We wished they’d fess up and do what’s right,” Kim Colson said.

On the Facebook entry she added, “God be with you until we meet again.”