Braeden Rayner didn’t know it then, but a Facebook post he made May 16, 2024, was prophetic: “In the blink of an eye, it could all be taken away. Be grateful always.”
Sunday morning, the 21-year-old and three others were returning to Casper from Colorado hauling work supplies when the Chevy Suburban he was in rolled and he was ejected, his cousin Addyson Rodrick told Cowboy State Daily on Tuesday.
“He was dead on the scene,” she said, sharing that a coworker in the vehicle with him got to him first.
Wyoming Highway Patrol Trooper Valerie Patmore said the incident near mile marker 145 on Interstate 25 between Douglas and Glenrock was called in at 11:13 a.m. Preliminary crash investigation shows that driver fatigue contributed to the rollover.
Patmore said Rayner was a back seat passenger in the Suburban that was pulling a trailer.
The vehicle rolled several times, Patmore said, adding that it still hasn’t been determined how many times. The preliminary information shows that Rayner was in the back seat without a seat belt and appears to have been ejected through the sunroof of the vehicle.
Rodrick said her understanding is that the trailer started “fishtailing,causing the vehicle to roll several times.”
Patmore said the driver and two other passengers were transported to the hospital. She did not have information on their conditions.
Rodrick, who has organized a GoFundMe campaign, said Rayner’s immediate family includes his mother Jennifer, sisters Breonna Rayner and Aliyah Rayner, and his father and stepmother, David and Melissa Rayner. He lived with his mom and sister, Breonna.
“The three of them are really close,” she said. “He was a devoted son, a loving brother, a caring cousin, and a loyal friend.”
Oil Field Work
Rayner had just landed a job working for a company associated with the oil fields a few months ago, Rodrick said. He loved just driving around and being with friends, and typically tried to be with family and friends every Sunday.
“With his new job and everything, he was pretty much at work most of the time,” she said. “I know he goes out and cleans oil pipes. It could be a week, a couple of days, a couple of weeks. It just depended on the job.”
Characterizing him as an extrovert, Rodrick said her cousin was someone who “always lightened the mood in any situation.”
“If ever I was in a bad mood, Braeden would do whatever he could to make (me) laugh,” she said.
Among her favorite memories of him is seeing her cousin do a “cartoon fall” while trying to dispatch an insect, but instead slipping on a carpet when he and his sister were together with her.
The death of her cousin has brought the family together, but also leaves a void for everyone who knew him, Rodrick said. She said that as of Monday there were no funeral services planned.
The GoFundMe for Rayner is meant to help the family with an “extra hand” when they are able to plan a service honoring their son and brother, Rodrick said.
“He always was bringing up the vibe and energy in any situation,” she said.
Dale Killingbeck can be reached at dale@cowboystatedaily.com.
