Friends hold benefit for man killed in hit and run accident

COLUMBIA CITY, Ind. (WANE) - Family and friends of a Columbia City man who was killed in a hit and run accident last weekend gathered Saturday to remember their loved one.

They held a benefit at Columbia City Skate Park, a place where Alex Trabert, the 23-year-old victim, spent a majority of his time.

“We ride or die," said David Humes, one of Alex's friends. "That was pretty much our saying is we rode or died, and he rode and he died with us.”

Trabert was killed in a hit and run accident in Indianapolis after he was released from a rehabilitation center.

“For someone to live as short a life as he had, as good of friends as he has to do something like this, one can’t hope for a legacy any better than that," said Alex's mother, Carla Trabert.

A group of about nine of his friends put together the event. They presented a plaque to his parents, and re-named the Columbia City Skate Park after him. The night also culminated with a candlelight vigil.

“This will bring an awareness as far as how quickly something can happen to you whether you’re the one that’s behind the wheel or you are the victim, it changes your life in an instant," said Trabert.

However, Trabert said she hopes positive things will come from this, and would like to see Morgan Mannix, the girl who killed Trabert, carry on his legacy.

“He would have liked to have been able to go out and talk to schools and tell them what it was like for him in his struggles once he had gotten through the programs," Trabert said. "He had already told us that, and I’ve even talked with the Mannix family and said that we’re hoping that something good will come from this and maybe she could go and talk to schools.”

Trabert's friends hope his accident will raise awareness to the prevalence of hit and run accidents. All proceeds from the benefit and any donations from now on will go to support the skate park.