By rssfeeds-admin 
The Silvia family says beloved brother and son, Raul Silvia Jr., was killed while riding his motorcycle near Lake Success on July 25, at the intersection of Highway 190 and Success Valley Drive. Since then, they have been appealing to the District Attorney to charge those responsible.
According to the family, Raul, his mother Denise, his brother Joshua, and his father Raul Sr. were riding home in separate vehicles along Highway 190 on the night of the crash. Raul Jr. was riding in front on his motorcycle with his mother following immediately behind.
Denise says she witnessed her son’s last moments firsthand.
“My first reaction was, they’re not going to stop,” Denise said. “Right as he tries to move, they hit him.”
Denise says she pulled over and was later joined on scene by Raul Sr. and Joshua, who were not far behind. The entire family says they were on scene within minutes of each other. When CHP officers arrived, Denise says they questioned her about the car’s speed.
“He asked me, ‘How fast do you think they were going? 2 or 3 miles per hour?’ No, they were going like 45, 50. They hit my son hard,” Denise said.
Raul Silvia Jr. was pronounced dead at Sierra View District Hospital in Porterville just two hours later. The Silvia family describes him as a hard-working, intelligent and curious person who cared deeply for his family.
“He was pretty much the glue that held this family together,” Raul Silvia Sr. said. “We had him for 27 years and we’re grateful for that.”
Raul Jr.’s younger brother, Joshua, says the motorcycle community in Springville held a memorial ride for his brother and filled the local church for his funeral service.
In the weeks following the crash, the Silvia family says they waited to hear updates from CHP after voicing their concerns about the driver of the car involved and the investigation.
“We ended up talking to a lawyer,” Denise said. “The lawyer had told us, be prepared because if they didn’t do a sobriety test, most likely it’s going to be just considered an accident.”
Raul Sr. says CHP investigators mismanaged the investigation of the crash, and his family agrees that the driver of the vehicle should have been held accountable.
“I get that [CHP] are under pressure to open up that road, but my son died that night, and they should have done more,” Raul Sr. said. “From the minute they showed up on scene, they just started kicking stuff around. I would’ve thought they would’ve started taking pictures: they didn’t.”
After three months of waiting, Joshua Silvia took to social media and shared his family’s story.
According to Denise, Joshua’s video caught the attention of the Tulare County District Attorney’s Office.
In a statement, the CHP says that their officers do not comment on ongoing or active investigations – but once the investigation is completed, a full report will be submitted to the DA’s office for the potential filing of charges.
The Tulare County DA’s Office says it has requested further investigative information in the incident and will share more when a filing decision is made.
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