The teammates of a West Hills High School (WHHS) student killed in a crash in front of campus say they will forever remember their “brother” for the positivity and kindness he lived by.
“He was the best of us. That’s what we would always say,” WHHS junior Liam Breslian told NBC 7 Friday. “He is just so positive all the time.”
Breslian was referring to his friend, 17-year-old Ryan Willweber.
On Thursday afternoon, Willweber and his brother, Cory, were involved in a deadly crash as they drove in front of their high school on Mast Boulevard in Santee.
When the teens’ sedan tried to make a left-hand turn out of the campus, a gold Ford Explorer T-boned the car, officials said. The Explorer and sedan collided with such force, the sedan then backed into another truck waiting to make a left-hand turn into the school.
The brothers inside the sedan had to be cut from their crushed vehicle by fire crews. Willweber was critically injured and was airlifted to a local hospital. Sadly, he died shortly thereafter.
On Thursday night, dozens upon dozens of students piled into West Hills High School and held a tearful candlelight vigil in remembrance of Willweber. After the vigil, his peers gathered around the school’s track to watch the track team run in Willweber’s honor.
The student was a standout athlete and ran track for the West Hills Wolf Pack.
Breslian also went to middle school with Willweber and had been running track with him for years.
He said the Wolf Pack track team learned the tragic news of the crash while they were out for a run.
“It was hard to take,” he recalled. “It’s been hard. At first it was really hard to accept that it even happened.”
“I think everyone is mourning in their own way – especially us,” he added.
Breslian said Willweber was a true team player – someone who always asked other teammates how their races went and offered words of encouragement whether a teammate won or lost.
“By far, he is the nicest guy on the team. He was a great, great young man,” said Breslain.
Track teammate and WHHS sophomore Christian Medina agreed, praising Willweber’s dedication to both his sport and his studies.
“He was just a great individual overall,” said Medina.
He said the loss has been incredibly difficult for the track team.
“We see each other as brothers. We see it as a lost brother,” explained Medina. “We always go out there – whether it be cross country or track – and we do it for each other. This accident is really heartbreaking for us.”
Medina and Breslain said the team’s next track meet will surely be tough without Willweber’s presence, but the team will come together and support one another.
“We will run in his honor,” added Medina.
The teammates said the track team is in the process of wrapping up the season and it is sad Willweber won’t be there to close it all out with them.
“He was such a positive guy, and a great influence and impact on all of us. It was great having him there,”said Medina.
Teammate Kiernan Elam said Willweber’s influence on his peers is undeniable.
“It’s really hard seeing just how much Ryan has affected everyone – everyone you pass in the halls,” said Elam. “I can’t imagine a nicer guy and I can’t imagine a worst way for him to go. He had so much ahead of him.”
All three teammates said Willweber comes from a great family who is also just as kind. His father is a pastor at the Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Allied Gardens.
“He spread his positivity everywhere he went. His smile was radiant,” said Breslain.
Grief counselors were on-hand at West Hills High School Friday to help students cope with the tragedy. Students wore blue to school as a way of honoring Willweber.
Willweber’s brother, Cory, remains hospitalized with broken bones to his shoulder and face, according to the San Diego County Sheriff's Department.
The two others involved in the crash – the driver of the Explorer and the driver of the truck – sustained minor injuries.
The fatal accident remains under investigation.
Santee Mayor Randy Voepel and San Diego County Sheriff's Department Capt. James Bovet held a media briefing Friday in front of the school and said Mast Boulevard is a safe street that is not prone to collisions. They said a traffic light is not currently needed at the site of the deadly crash.
However, NBC 7 Investigates obtained data that reveals at least five crashes have taken place in the area -- two with injuries.
Editor's Note: Officials have clarified that Willweber's vehicle was making a turn out of the campus at the time of the crash onto westbound Mast Boulevard, not onto the campus. "It is legal to make a left turn from the campus where Ryan made his turn. There is no median there to allow for left turns from the campus," said Sheriff's Capt. James Bovet.
