Eleven-year-old Liam Cox died Wednesday, three days after he was hit by a vehicle while riding his bicycle near Burns.
His 13-year-old sister was with him that Sunday afternoon, on what had begun as an ordinary bike ride toward Burns.
She missed being struck by inches, their father, Ryan Cox, told Cowboy State Daily.
Liam suffered a traumatic brain injury and was eventually flown to a Denver hospital, where he passed away from his injuries.
In the days since, his classmates at St. Mary’s Catholic School have worn purple — Liam’s favorite color — and friends, teachers and neighbors have reached out to his family after the loss of a boy his dad describes as relentlessly curious, adventurous and happy.
“Liam was one of the brightest little boys I've ever seen,” Ryan Cox said. “He just brought happiness wherever he was.”
'A Fun, Adventurous Kid'
Liam loved animals.
His obituary tells the story of a zoo trip where an employee was talking about a bird when Liam ran up and identified it as an elf owl. Then the 11-year-old started supplying the facts himself.
He was happiest at home, chasing the chickens around, Cox said.
Coyotes had recently discovered the family's flock, and father and son had been preparing to set traps to protect the birds.
“We didn't want them snacking on any more of our ladies,” Cox said.
Liam loved being outside. He enjoyed fishing, riding his bicycle and scrambling over rocks.
Born Dec. 28, 2014, in DeKalb, Illinois, he moved with his family to South Dakota, then Kansas and eventually Wyoming.
In the Black Hills, Liam became a climber and a collector.
He amassed thousands of rocks and scrambled over formations with enough confidence that sometimes it wasn't Liam who became frightened — it was the other parents.
“Hey, this is encouraging my kid to do that. Could you get him down?” Cox recalled parents telling him.
Once, after the family moved to Kansas, Liam made it high into a tree before discovering that getting down was a different proposition. His dad had to coach him through the descent.
“He was very much a fun, adventurous kid,” Cox said.
Everybody's Friend
Liam's parents knew their son was kind. They are now hearing how many other people knew it, too.
Friends, teachers and classmates have been reaching out to the family with stories about Liam.
“He's the sweetest little boy,” Cox said. “He gets along with just about everybody, and ... he was everybody's friend.”
His classmates are grieving, too, Cox said.
“They're equally distraught.”
What they are missing is not only the sweet kid Cox described, but the funny, mischievous one — a side of Liam his dad knew especially well.
Shortly before the crash, a Mark Rober CrunchLabs kit was headed to the Cox home. Liam had already figured out what he wanted to build with it: An infrared-triggered turret that would fire darts when someone tripped its sensor.
He had even picked the perfect place to hide it — inside a cabinet only his dad opened.
“I was going to be assaulted by a turret,” Cox said.
“So that's the kind of kid he was.”
The Bike Ride
At home, Liam was one of three children.
Last Sunday afternoon, Liam and his older sister headed out on their bicycles.
It wasn't unusual. Authorities said after the crash that Liam frequently rode his bicycle along the paved, rural road where he was struck.
The siblings were riding their bicycles toward Burns along County Road 213 when Liam was hit by a vehicle near its intersection with County Road 147.
Laramie County sheriff's deputies were called at 3:52 p.m.
Liam’s sister witnessed the collision.
“She saw his body fly through the air,” Cox said.
For now, Cox said, both Liam’s sisters appear to be coping as well as can be expected, but he worries the full weight of what happened might take time to emerge.
“I think the next two weeks will really kind of show how they're really doing,” he said.
Liam was initially flown to Medical Center of the Rockies in Loveland, Colorado. His injuries were severe.
His obituary says he suffered a traumatic brain injury and was eventually airlifted to Denver. He died there three days later.
Crash Aftermath
Sheriff Brian Kozak told Cowboy State Daily after the crash that investigators did not believe impairment was involved. At that point, investigators were still examining whether speed contributed.
Authorities have not publicly identified the driver or explained precisely how the collision occurred.
Cox said he has since driven the road himself, looking at the stretch where his son was hit and trying to understand what happened.
He remembers confronting the driver at the scene.
For the Cox family, questions about the investigation remain, but those questions are separate from the much more immediate reality of losing Liam — and helping two sisters through the loss of their brother.
A fundraiser and meal train have been established to help the Coxes, and Liam's visitation is scheduled from noon to 4 p.m. Tuesday at Wiederspahn-Radomsky Chapel of the Chimes in Cheyenne, followed by a vigil at 5 p.m.
His funeral is scheduled for 10 a.m. Wednesday at Holy Trinity Catholic Church.
Kolby Fedore can be reached at kolby@cowboystatedaily.com.
