Friends, family mourning loss of Ft. Bend Co. teen killed in wreck

SUGAR LAND, TX (KTRK) -- A family and a local high school student body are mourning the death of teenager who was killed in a wreck Friday night.

Ben Silas, 15, was a passenger in a vehicle that was traveling on Homeward Way. The driver, a 16-year-old male, was going too fast, according to police. He lost control and crashed near the intersection of Homeward Way and New Territory Boulevard.

Silas died. The driver was rushed to the hospital in bad shape.

Silas' friends are remembering the life that ended way too soon.

"He was like my brother to me," said Gabriel Heppner, a friend of Silas'. "Every other day, we were hanging out, fishing, riding dirt bikes. He had fun with life. He enjoyed it. Just a country kid."

Silas' friends and family will gather at Stephen F. Austin High School on Sunday for a vigil and balloon release. That is scheduled to begin at 7pm.

Police have not released the name of the 16-year-old driver. His friends say he's recovering in the hospital.