Monday, AUGUST 11, 2025 |
A celebration of life was held in Cheyenne on Saturday for 16-year old Reilly Smith who died following an ATV crash July 17th on Elk Mountain.
The young man clung to life for days after the crash being transported by Wyoming Life Flight, first to Banner Medical Center in Casper and then to Children’s Hospital in Denver.
A day of fun in the mountains turned to tragedy when the young man, driving without a helmet, hit a drainage ditch with the ATV at 45 miles per hour.
The ATV went into the ditch and Rielly hit his head on the handlebars.
While the young man clung to life for five days, neurosurgeons surmised that his chances for recovery were grim. He had essentially died on impact.
Reilly was removed from life support on July 25th.
Reilly’s dad, Brandon Smith, has become an advocate for helmet safety.
A GoFundMe page was created to help the family with expenses.
