Teenage best friends have been tragically killed in an accident after they were hit by a train in Oregon following a freak chain of events.
Brayden Fear and Kaleb Banzer, both 19, lost their lives after they were struck by the Metropolitan Area Express (MAX) train, near NE 28TH Avenue on Saturday (November 4).
The horrific tragedy occurred after their car crashed on the highway, and they jumped over the barrier to enter a TriMet-restricted area to retrieve a part from their car, as reported by Fox 12.
A MAX light-rail train then struck them and tragically claimed their lives. Westbound lanes of I-84 between Northeast 43rd Avenue and Interstate 5 were closed for hours as police investigated, per Oregon Live.
Brayden and Kaleb, from Boring, were childhood best friends who had reconnected about a year ago, as revealed by Brayden's aunt, Jody Golston.
"[They] literally were inseparable, and they were living their best lives at 19," she told Fox 12.
Jody revealed that Brayden had just started a successful car detailing career and was set to open his own business following his graduation from Oregon City Service Learning Academy. Meanwhile, Kaleb was also passionate about cars and had posted pictures of his vehicle on social media.
Before his untimely death, Brayden had purchased his dream car and loved to take road trips. It's unclear if the boys were in his vehicle before the harrowing incident.
Brayden's loving aunt said the passing couldn't have been more untimely as the teenager was at the "height of his life."
Jody shared that the wound is still fresh, so the grieving family is taking things slow to properly mourn the loss of their loved one. But, she acknowledged that it hasn't been easy for everyone, especially for her daughter Mariah as Brayden "was her person".
"They were 18 months apart," she shared. "They would joke around and call each other brother-cousin and sister-cousin because they were so much closer than cousins."
Jody reiterated her plans to help her heartbroken family through the unimaginable loss one day at a time. She also expressed that Brayden's kind heart will be difficult to live without.
"He was loyal to a fault, he loved his people big, he loved to make people laugh," she said. "He would help anybody with anything. Anything he did, he did with a lot of pride, and he wanted everyone to know that. That's who he was."
Jody organized a GoFundMe page for funeral expenses and support for Brayden's father and eight-year-old brother. As of the time of writing, $20,300 has been raised - exceeding the $20,000 target.
Kaleb's aunt, Jessica Giusto, also created a fundraiser for her late nephew as well, and emotionally penned: "We are asking for a bit of help during this numbing and devastating time as the family grieves and has to make unimaginable decisions.
"Kaleb lit up the room wherever he was. This loss will [affect] us forever," his loving aunt added. As of today, the page has garnered more than $17,491 in donations.
Furthermore, the Portland Police Bureau offered their condolences to the grieving families during a press conference, stating: "For the families directly impacted, that have lost a loved one, just that we grieve with them and we’re doing all that we can in our power to mitigate and minimize these events."
Our thoughts are with Brayden and Kaleb's family and friends at this devastating time.
