A 17-year-old soccer goalkeeper who had just graduated from high school and secured a place at college to pursue his dream of playing the sport he loved was killed when a car plummeted 25 feet from a San Francisco overpass in the early hours of the morning — just days after what should have been one of the proudest milestones of his life.
Lenin Homer Silva, known to his family as Len, had graduated from Hillsdale High School in San Mateo, California on 28 May and committed to playing soccer for Skyline College in San Bruno. Two days later, in the early hours of 30 May, he was pronounced dead at the scene of a crash on Interstate 80 in San Francisco, according to ABC 7.
Silva was riding unbuckled in the back seat of a Chevrolet Camaro driven by an 18-year-old friend when, at around 1.30am, the driver made what authorities described as an “unsafe turning movement to the right,” causing the vehicle to strike the left corner of a Recology tractor-trailer. The collision sent both vehicles careering into yellow sand barriers near the Seventh Street off-ramp. While the truck came to a halt on the interstate, the Camaro crashed through a metal bridge railing and fell 25 feet into a San Francisco impound yard, according to the San Francisco Gate, striking several vacant cars before landing on its roof.
San Francisco Fire Department crews used the jaws of life to free Silva and another 18-year-old passenger from the back of the car. Silva was pronounced dead at the scene. The other rear passenger remains in critical condition. The driver was able to exit the vehicle himself and was taken to hospital with moderate injuries, as was the front seat passenger. Investigators said neither drugs nor alcohol were believed to be involved and are now examining whether speed may have been a contributing factor.
His mothers, Sue Homer and Paula Silva, told reporters they had been texting their son at 1am — just before the crash — and he had replied as he and his friends were getting onto the freeway. “I’m still thinking it’s a mistake, that the hospital lady did not understand that it wasn’t my son,” one of his mothers told ABC 7. “I was like, ‘He’s just gonna call me back and confirm that it was not my son’.” The other added: “I know it sounds like a cliche, but I swear every day I wake up and just expect Len to come bopping through my door, which he did every morning.”
Silva had played for at least a dozen soccer teams during his short life. “The beginning and end of his world was sports,” his mothers said. “He graduated and he was going to college, and it was his dream to play soccer in college and that he was going to do all of those things.”
The tributes from the soccer community reflected how widely he was loved. Cal North Soccer, where Silva had been part of the Olympic Development Program, wrote on Facebook: “Known for his dedication, determination and love for the game, Lenin represented the very best of youth soccer on and off the field. As a goalkeeper, he demonstrated courage, leadership and resilience, always putting his team first.” San Francisco Seal Soccer, the most recent team he had played for, said it was “saddened” by his loss, adding: “There are no words to describe the magnitude of shock and grief of losing such a young promising life.”
The San Mateo Union High School District, from which Silva had graduated just two days before his death, said it was making mental health resources available to students in the wake of the tragedy.
His mothers described the outpouring of messages from friends, teachers, coaches and employers as a testament to the person their son was. “The adults in his life, his teachers, his bosses at the bakery, the counsellors at school, his coaches all just really adored Lenin. He was a sweet kid with a big heart. Somebody described him as a gentle giant.” The family plans to hold a private celebration of his life and have asked for prayers for the other passenger still fighting for his life. “These kids’ lives will never be the same,” his mothers said.
