Funeral fundraisers launched for collegiate cyclists killed by driver in Tennessee

Milligan University students Haylan Engdahl and Brayden Rogers — (Image credit: Images shared by GoFundMe)

Three verified GoFundMe campaigns have been launched to support the families of the Milligan University cyclists killed or injured when a car driver struck the team during a training ride last week.

Sophomores Haylan Engdahl and Brayden Rogers were killed in the 19 August collision; seven other students were injured and taken to hospital.

Two of the fundraisers will help Engdahl’s and Rogers’ families cover funeral and memorial expenses. The third will help the injured cyclists and their families with medical bills, recovery costs and other urgent needs.

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The three campaigns had collectively raised more than $72,000 at the time of publication.

Haylan Engdahl, 19, was a graduate of Christian Life High School in Kenosha, Wisconsin. The fundraiser remembers him as smart, funny and kind, with a deep passion for mountain biking, cyclocross and criterium racing. "Never without a smile, Haylan had a presence that was impossible not to notice," the campaign reads.

The Support Haylan Engdahl’s Family campaign was organised to help Engdahl’s mother, father and brother with funeral expenses, memorial costs and time to grieve.

Similarly, the Funeral Support for Brayden Rogers campaign aims to "ease some of the financial burden during this incredibly painful time."

Rogers was a graduate of Buckhorn High School in New Market, Alabama. He was 19.

"This heartbreaking loss has left Brayden’s family, friends and community grieving and trying to process an unimaginable tragedy,” the campaign reads.

A third fundraiser, Support Milligan University Cyclists, was organised for the seven injured riders and their families, some of whom remain in hospital.

"Donations will help offset medical expenses, recovery costs, and other urgent needs as these students work to rebuild after such a devastating event," the fundraiser reads. "Just as importantly, this fundraiser is a way to surround them with love, compassion, and support during one of the hardest moments of their lives."

On the morning of 19 August, 11 members of the Milligan University cycling team were riding on Highway 19E in Carter County, Tennessee, when they were struck by a car driver.

The driver, John Benfield, 69, of North Carolina, was taken into custody following the crash. He has been charged with two counts of vehicular homicide by recklessness and five counts of aggravated assault by vehicle. Benfield was released after posting a $300,000 bond and is due back in court on 31 August. The investigation remains ongoing, with the National Transportation Safety Board now involved.

Cycling Weekly's North American Editor, Anne-Marije Rook is old school. She holds a degree in journalism and started out as a newspaper reporter — in print! She can even be seen bringing a pen and notepad to the press conference.

Originally from the Netherlands, she grew up a bike commuter and didn't find bike racing until her early twenties when living in Seattle, Washington. Strengthened by the many miles spent darting around Seattle's hilly streets on a steel single speed, Rook's progression in the sport was a quick one. As she competed at the elite level, her journalism career followed, and soon, she became a full-time cycling journalist. She's now been a journalist for two decades, including 14 years in cycling.