Max Lenail’s father cites government mindset as one reason for memorial project’s halt

In January of 2021, Max Lenail drowned in the San Diego River while attempting to cross over a swollen section of the water near the Jackson Drive entrance of Mission Trails Regional Park. He had just gone for a long run. He was 21 years old and in great shape. An intense storm was soaking him with rain and hail, and he had to decide whether to cross the river using the concrete-encased sewer that served as an unofficial crossing, or turn around, climb and descend the South Fortuna peak a second time, and cross over the river on the other side of the park, at the Old Mission Dam. He chose the unofficial crossing, and his body was recovered from the San Diego River the next day. 

If there had been a proper bridge at the Jackson Drive crossing, Max Lenail would likely still be alive today. Realizing this, Max’s mother and father, Laurie Yoler and Ben Lenail, set out to make that bridge a reality. In a recent account shared with me via email, Ben Lenail wrote, “We met other bereaved parents, and we were shocked at how they had become like ghosts, sleepwalking through life. We decided to seek connection and meaning instead. Over the past four-and-a-half years, I invested 3000 hours into the project. I took 18 trips to San Diego, and managed a large and highly-experienced project team representing all major trades. I interacted extensively with local citizen and public interest groups, elected officials, and city and state bureaucrats. My goal: to build much-needed infrastructure for the safety of Park users, and to make improvements to Mission Trails Regional Park, a gorgeous corner of the Golden State — all in loving memory of our deceased son.”

On June 1 of this year, Lenail issued a stop-work order on the project. “It’s so sad,” he says. “I’ve been working on it for four and a half years and it’s been like pushing a boulder up the hill. But I’m at a real point here of, you know, having to pause and really turn it back to San Diego authorities and say, ‘You know, if you want this, you have to drive it or help me drive it, instead of, you know, making me do all the work and kind of obstructing along the way.’”

Read more at the San Deigo Reader: https://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2025/jul/23/bee-helps-kill-bridge-buzz/