Tynielle Silvera: Honor Student Killed By Drunk Driver

Image: Gothamist.com

Tynielle Silvera was the kind of person we all want our children to be. She was making good grades, on her way to college and even tutoring other kids in the neighborhood. She was planning on becoming an attorney, and had become her mother's pride and joy.

Silvera's dreams for the future came to a screeching halt this week, as she was run down by a drunk driver as she was crossing the street.

The perpetrator of the crime, Kenneth Serwan, is a 46-year old married father of three who'd been convicted of drunk driving in the past. He is being held on $100,000 bail. At the time of her death, Tynielle was crossing the highway to take the train back home after heading to Bedford-Stuyvesant, where she'd been tutoring 13-year-old Leanora Genus.

Genus said that Silvera was like a sister or best friend to her, and always motivated her to strive for her goals. Serwan's decision to drink and drive that day caused the painful and instant death of the dreams of two young women. He should be ashamed of his choices, as should anyone who has even taken a chance on getting behind the wheel after drinking.

A recent study showed that alcohol is the most costly drug in our society, ranking ahead of crack, heroine and crystal meth. The high price of this drug of choice comes not just from the damage it does to the individual, but also from what it does to the rest of us. Millions of people are affected each year by alcohol-related incidents, including drunk driving accidents, rape, domestic violence, etc. If we are going to protect the Tynielle Silveras of the world, we must confront the demon of alcohol consumption.

Even more harmful for Tynielle is that she could have been affected by alcohol abuse if she'd had a chance to attend college. Over 92,000 college students between the ages of 18 and 24 report being victims of sexual assault committed by someone under the influence of alcohol. Also, 42 percent of college students admit to binge drinking. I've spent the last 20 years of my life on a college campus, and I can say that this accident wouldn't have been the last time that Tynielle's life would be significantly impacted by alcohol.

I was at dinner once with a colleague that I worked with every single day. I respected the brother a great deal, but he honestly liked to drink too much. Once, we went to dinner and I saw him gulp down several drinks before the meal, a few more during the meal and even more after the meal. I then sat there like an idiot as he grabbed his car keys, got behind the wheel and drove home.

I may never forgive myself for failing to speak up that day. I should have stopped him from getting into that car. I did confront him a few months later about his drinking, telling him that he is not only jeopardizing his own life, but that he is risking the lives of others and sending the wrong message to the students who looked up to him. He never spoke to me again and I lost a friend for life. Truth be told, I couldn't care less about losing a friend that day, because he needed to be confronted.

When we see others who drink too much and consider getting behind the wheel after drinking, it is our obligation to stop them, no matter what it takes. It may be uncomfortable, and it may cause a confrontation. But by stopping a person from drinking and driving, we might be saving the life of an innocent victim. Tynielle Silvera had a future, and alcohol killed it. The tears of her mother should be etched in our hearts, and we must stand up to the demon of alcohol abuse.

Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and a Scholarship in Action Resident of the Institute for Black Public Policy. To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here.