UW student killed by bus while skateboarding

Chase Anderson's beach-boy good looks and love of life earned him the nickname "Sunshine." The name even fit with one of his favorite pastimes: sidewalk surfing on a longboard skateboard.

Few in Anderson's University of Washington fraternity were surprised when the 19-year-old freshman decided to take his skateboard early Friday morning to grab a bite after a night of hitting the books.

But as Anderson was riding west on Northeast 45th Street at about 1:20 a.m., he ran into the side of a Metro bus and fell under the rear wheels, said Seattle police spokeswoman Renee Witt. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Witt said the bus had a green light.

Police called the death a "tragic accident" and said it appears the bus driver was not at fault.

Anderson's death has left a wide circle of family and friends devastated. An honor student at the UW's business school, Anderson had also been a popular athlete at Bellevue High School.

"He never had anything bad to say about anybody," said his father, Frank Anderson. "He was just starting to make his mark."

Chase Anderson had been accepted to the UW business school as a freshman, an almost-unheard-of accomplishment, his father said. He was interested in alternative fuels and a wide range of other subjects.

"He was so loved," said Frank Anderson. "God, he just loved life. He was as happy as he could be. He was just exploding as a man."

"I've known him since the fourth grade," said Danny Razore, a senior at Bellevue High School. "He was funny, smart, easygoing; never anybody you'd get mad at."

Razore played in three sports with Anderson, and Anderson commonly beat him, he added. Razore said he last saw Anderson a few weeks ago while visiting the UW to see a basketball game.

"He seemed like he was loving life. He loved college. He loved the fraternity," said Razore.

Anderson also loved to ride his skateboard, Razore said.

"He was always longboarding in his sandals," he said. "He was like a beach boy. We called him 'Sunshine.' "

Chris O'Connor, head basketball coach at Bellevue High, coached Anderson during his senior year.

The two kept in frequent contact after Anderson graduated, talking on the phone at least twice a month, O'Connor said. The young man also came to more than half a dozen basketball games this season to cheer on his alma mater, he said.

"He had it all: he was athletic, personable, good-looking, the girls loved him. And he was just an unbelievable student athlete," O'Connor said. "He always gave an all-out effort."

Anderson was a member of Phi Gamma Delta at the UW. On Friday, the fraternity house at 17th Avenue Northeast and Northeast 45th Street had signs posted reading: "House closed. Please respect our privacy."

Anderson collided with Metro's Route 71 bus, which was headed to Fairview Avenue and Denny Way during its last run of the night and had one passenger, said Linda Thielke, the Metro Transit spokeswoman.

"The bus driver didn't know that anything had happened until the police stopped her about a block away," Thielke said.

The driver, 46, has been employed for nearly four years, she said, and had no previous accidents. She added that the driver "needs some time off" and is now on paid administrative leave.

"It appears to be a tragic accident," said Seattle police spokesman Mark Jamieson. "It doesn't appear the driver was negligent in any way."

The accident was the second in the Seattle area this week involving a skateboarder. On Tuesday, a 15-year-old Everett boy was critically injured while "skitching," hitching a ride behind a vehicle while riding a skateboard. The boy was still in critical condition Friday at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.

Last September, a 16-year-old skateboarder, Dustin Moore, was hit and killed by a dump truck in Maple Valley.

The truck driver was charged with negligent driving.

In the 2007 Bellevue High School yearbook, Anderson's photograph appears on six pages, including a half-page paid advertisement taken out by his family and filled with more than a dozen photos of him with friends and family members, smiling, holding trophies, on dates.

"Chase," reads the inscription from his family. "No matter where you go, no matter what the weather, always bring your own 'Sunshine.' "

Peyton Whitely: 206-464-2269 or pwhitely@seattletimes.com

Sonia Krishnan: 206-515-5546 or skrishnan@seattletimes.com

Seattle Times staff reporters Christine Clarridge, Jennifer Sullivan, Lauren Vane and news researcher Miyoko Wolf contributed to this report.