WASHINGTON, April 15 (RIA Novosti), Lyudmila Chernova – One year later, Steve Silva, Boston.com senior sports producer is getting ready to return to the Boston marathon, but this time as a runner.
“There is a nervous anticipation of everything that’s going to be coming up. I think it’s going to be a very emotional day,” Silva told RIA Novosti. “There will be a lot of fans and runners who did not get to finish the race last year as well as those related to the people who were injured or lost their lives. This is going to be a wave of electric emotion.”
Millions of people around the world saw the tragedy of the 2013 Boston Marathon through Silva’s lens. The images from his video of the explosions and the aftermath will forever remain not only on tape, but in mind of their eyewitness.
“I remember seeing the blood flowing across the sidewalk like water. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that much blood. So, I knew it was bad with all that amount of blood. And then I remember seeing the people pushing the wheelchairs towards the scene to get to the injured people. I remember seeing them going back and forth. All the medical people coming and going back and forth the whole the time I was out there. And I remember hearing the sirens.”
Silva shared the panic in the city, when everything sort of got quiet with just a mass confusion for a long time.
On April 15, 2013 Silva was shooting a video for Boston.com for his Finish Line Scenes. Standing right on the finish line some 10 yards from the explosion, he was recording runners coming across waiting for interesting moments to capture, like let out emotions or even marriage proposals.
“I was looking at my viewfinder, and heard a dull thud. Then, there was a lot of smoke, which went straight up in the air. I didn’t know if it was a cannon misfired to salute someone. I knew it was behind the fence on the sidewalk area. And I was in the middle, so I just started moving towards the explosion. And then 13 seconds after the second explosion went off. And I just knew in my mind it was a coordinated attack. I had a feeling it was a bomb. I knew that somebody did something very sinister.”
In this very chaotic situation with people running from the stands as well as police, runners, and volunteers Silva decided to stay and capture the event for the world to see.
“It was very hectic for the time I was out there. And I just felt I was in a unique position to be able to record what happened here. I tried to stay with it as long as I could and stay as close to the scene as possible without getting in the way. “
“I was just working. I was doing my job. I didn’t have time to feel anything. But once I saw the people on the sidewalk, all the blood, people with piece of their leg blown off, I knew it was going to be horrible and for the city and for those families, for those people. I knew there had to be some deaths between those two bombs. And all I could think about was these innocent people who came out to cheer on runners and happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. And how horrible it was for them. Nothing happened to me. I didn’t get hurt. I happened to be in the right place at the wrong time. I was never worried about myself.”
During the 22 minutes Silva spent at the scene he took a picture and put it out on Facebook and Twitter. And as soon as he uploaded the video, the phone started ringing for media requests continued through the next three days.
Even today a year later, Silva tries not to watch the footage he shot.
“It was a surreal day. I am not comfortable with going back and reliving it. I want to move forward at that point.”
This week, he moves forward at a run joining the race himself in celebration and defiance of the memories caused by terrorism forever captured by his camera.
