By George P. Hassett

For Brian Liberatore‚Äôs friends, lining up around Doherty Funeral Home last Friday night  was nothing new. Except this time he was the one they said goodbye to. Brian Liberatore died Wednesday, Oct. 3, when he fell out of the passenger door of his best friend‚Äôs car.

His brother, Scott Liberatore, sitting in the backseat on the fatal night, said his brother is the latest in a long-line of Somerville-raised young men to die young. He said he has lost nearly 20 friends in the last four years alone. Although many of the deaths were related to drugs and violence, Scott said his brother was not the first to die in a freak accident.

“It’s almost like there is something in the water here,” he said. “It’s got to stop.”

At Friday’s wake, Scott Liberatore said mourners spoke of his brother’s kindness and positive attitude. Nearly 2,000 people lined Powder House Boulevard to pay their final respect at Doherty’s.

“It feels like the entire city knew him because he was always involved in sports and the community. Plus he wasn’t the type of kid to have enemies, anybody who knew him liked him. He was always upbeat and joking around,” he said.

Brian Liberatore was sitting next to his best friend, Stephen Post, early Wednesday morning when he opened the car door, possibly to vomit after a night of drinking, and fell out onto Summer Street, according to Scott Liberatore. In a split second, he said, his brother was out of the car and Post was hitting the brakes.

When police arrived, they found Brian Liberatore in the street suffering from head injuries. He was transported to Massachusetts General Hospital where he was later pronounced dead. 

At the scene, Post was arrested and charged with drunk driving after he allegedly refused to submit to field sobriety tests. However, Post did pass the only test he took when he successfully recited the alphabet. Police said they could smell alcohol on Post’s breath and he had glassy eyes. Police Captain Paul Upton said a person must pass three field sobriety tests to successfully complete it. “When someone refuses and there is any other indication they were operating under the influence, they are arrested,” he said. Police also allegedly found a small amount of marijuana on Post and added a charge of possession of a class D drug against him.

Despite being arrested in connection with the same incident in which his best friend died, Post is not responsible for the death, Scott Liberatore said.

“They were best friend’s since the sixth grade. [Stephen]’s stressed right now because people think it’s his fault. But I want to get it out there, he is not responsible for what happened to my brother. My brother’s accident was a freak thing,” he said.

Scott Liberatore said his family and Post’s are close and his parents are trying to reassure Post that they do not blame him for their son’s death.

“My family loves Stephen,” he said.

Scott Liberatore said he takes solace from the fact that his brother was with his best friend when he died. “[Brian] went out next to his best friend and his brother and I think that would be the only way he would want to go,” he said.