ARLINGTON — He was a teenager who helped lift his friend’s spirits, who would go out of his way to lend a hand and who, despite bumps in the road, had started to turn his life around.

Adrian Allen Kuchin, 17, died in a car crash Thursday night.

The Marysville boy lost control, crossed the center line and crashed head-on into a semi-truck, police said. The teenager was pronounced dead at the scene, a sharp curve on Highway 530, five miles east of Arlington.

“He was a happy-go-lucky kid. He also had hopes for the future. He had a positive outlook; this is a tragedy,” his mother, Gail Chute, said. “No one should lose their best friend or their child.”

Kuchin’s passenger, a 16-year-old boy, was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. On Friday afternoon, the boy was in satisfactory condition, said Susan Gregg-Hanson, a hospital spokeswoman.

The crash occurred about 7 p.m., Washington State Patrol trooper Kirk Rudeen said.

Investigators believe speed may have been a factor in the crash, he said.

“This is a collision that never should have happened,” Rudeen said. “It’s one of the reasons we work so hard on speed enforcement. With younger drivers especially … they don’t have the time and experience behind the wheel.”

He also apologized for the release of inaccurate information about the boys the night of the accident.

Troopers also believe the truck driver, a Darrington man, 55, may have been drunk at the time of the accident, Rudeen said. The truck driver was not injured in the crash. Snohomish County prosecutors will determine if charges should be filed.

The turn in Highway 530 east of Jim Creek Road is one of the sharpest on the road between Arlington and Darrington, said Shelli Olin, 44, who lives next to the accident scene.

She heard the terrifying screech of tires Thursday night and watched as emergency crews worked to pull the boys from the car’s wreckage.

“It was horrible; we couldn’t sleep,” she said.

Speeding is the No. 2 contributing factor to teen-driving fatalities in the state, said Dick Doane of the Washington Traffic Safety Commission.

“Fifteen- to 20-year-olds, especially, have a problem with speed,” he said.

Since February, police wrote Kuchin two traffic tickets, including one on Aug. 14, according to court records.

“He liked to drive fast. He shouldn’t have,” his best friend, Josh Misner, 16, said Friday.

At the crash site, among broken shards of glass and spilled motor oil, more than a dozen of Kuchin’s friends sat remembering their friend.

They talked about his smile, quirky jokes, hugs and kisses.

“I was always having fun with him,” said Michelle Hugenin, 14.

Kuchin was on his way to a barbecue Thursday night, Misner said. Spending time with his tight-knit group of friends was important to the teenager.

“He was one of the best people you could ever meet,” he said. “The last person this should happen to.”

Faculty at Marysville’s Mountain View High School remembered Kuchin fondly Friday for his fashion sense, his love for art and music and how he treated his classmates.

“He was kind of a quiet student, but he was well liked,” said Dawn Bechtholdt, principal of the alternative high school Kuchin attended at different times over two years. “He cared a lot about other people. He had a great heart for his friends.”

Bechtholdt and two members of her staff went to watch Kuchin in his cap and gown when he received his GED certificate, similar to a high-school degree, from the Center for Career Alternatives in Everett.

“He was so proud,” she said. “He was really glad to see us there. He just smiled when he saw us.”

Kuchin spent the summer working in fast-food restaurants. He planned to join Job Corps this fall, his mother said.

In addition to his mother, Kuchin also is survived by his sister Jennifer, 12.

“He always took care of her, was a big brother always,” Kuchin’s mother said.

His cousin, Attalie Johnseine, 21, of Stanwood, said Kuchin liked people, was fun and very active.

“He was an all-around loving person. He had that energy. A lot of people had a lot of good memories with him,” she said. “He’s always with us and dearly missed. And I hope he’s up there having fun.”

Reporter Jackson Holtz: 425-339-3437 or jholtz@heraldnet.com.