Hollister teen who died after crashing dirt bike into parked trailer remembered by family, friends

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A week after a Hollister teen died in a dirt bike crash near his home, tributes to his life continue.  

Mason Gomes crashed his dirt bike into the “left rear side” of a parked trailer on the 1900 block of Valley View Road, according to a Hollister police press release regarding enforcement for the Fourth of July weekend. 

Dirt bikes are considered an off-highway motorcycle under California Vehicle Code, and may be driven on regular roads provided that riders have proper identification for the vehicle. 

According to Jennifer Gomes, Mason’s mother, he crashed into a “landscape trailer” just a few houses down from their family home. 

While Mason was riding his dirt bike home, he was followed by his twin brother in a truck who ended up witnessing the entire accident, said his mother. 

She said that Mason had already gone through several situations where he could have lost his life, including surviving a seizure as a premature baby and needing to change schools in high school due to a physical altercation with another student. He attended Anzar High School where he played football and was set to enter his senior year. 

“It felt like he was cheating death,” his mother said, reflecting on Mason’s life up until his death. 

Community members set up a GoFundMe for the Gomes family for funeral costs and immediate living expenses which has now raised more than $30,000.  

Both the Hollister Fire Department and AMR Ambulance arrived on the scene. They attempted to perform life-saving treatment on him, but the teen ended up being transported to Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital where he was declared deceased, according to police. 

His mother said he was wearing a helmet while riding his dirt bike and she contended that the trailer was parked illegally. However, other news outlets said the trailer was parked legally. 

The presumed cause of death was blunt force trauma, according to the San Benito County Sheriff’s Office, but the official coroner results won’t be known until 10 to 12 weeks after the autopsy.

A candlelight memorial service was held for the deceased teenager at Cerra Vista Elementary on July 9, where family and friends gathered to honor his life. 

And a makeshift memorial near where he died on Valley View was set up.

The incident was unrelated to the holiday weekend, according to Hollister police.

The BenitoLink Internship Program is a paid, skill-building program that prepares local youth for a professional career. This program is supported by Monterey Peninsula Foundation AT&T Golf Tour and Taylor Farms.