Latest news with #MagnusWhite
CBS News
18 hours ago
- CBS News
Colorado woman sentenced for crash that killed teenage pro cyclist
A Colorado woman who was found guilty of killing a 17-year-old pro cyclist in a crash in 2023 has been sentenced to four years in prison. Yeva Smilianska was found guilty of reckless vehicular homicide in the death of Magnus White, a cyclist for Team USA. Yeva Smilianska talks to her attorney during her sentencing hearing. Yeva Smilianska, 24, was found guilty of vehicular homicide and reckless driving in April after she hit and killed Magnus White, who was biking on the paved shoulder of Highway 119 in Boulder on July 29, 2023. White was training for the U.S. Cycling National Team in the mountain biking world championships when he was hit and ejected from his bike. (Cliff Grassmick/Staff Photographer) Cliff Grassmick Text messages and cell phone videos showed that Smilianska had been drinking and stayed up into the early morning hours before she fatally struck White while he was on a training ride on Highway 119 in Boulder. On Friday, she was sentenced to four of the possible six years in prison for his death, along with a two-year mandatory parole period.
CBS News
a day ago
- CBS News
Family of Colorado cyclist pushes for change, driver responsible for his death to be sentenced
The family of a teenage pro cyclist in Colorado is pushing for change ahead of the sentencing of the woman who claimed his life. A devastating crash in Colorado nearly two years ago ended the life of seventeen-year-old Magnus White, a rising cyclist for Team USA. He was on a training ride just days before he was set to compete in the world championships when a driver hit and killed him along Highway 119 in Boulder. Magnus White Michael White "He had this thing you couldn't put your finger on it, he was smooth, powerful, technical," he said, "This was his national championship bike he was going to ride." Magnus died on a Saturday in July of 2023. "The doctor had to pull me outside and say, 'You know, I don't think he's going to make it,' and I said, 'What are you talking about? He's strong, he's going to make it, he's a young boy, he'll be fine, he just needs to like sleep on it. He'll wake up,'" his mother Jill remembered about that day. His heart stopped three times in the hospital. "I'm holding onto Michael, cheering for Magnus one last time. 'Come on, Magnus, you got this. You can do this, Magnus. You can come back you got this,'" she said. CBS The driver who hit and killed Magnus told Colorado State Patrol investigators on the scene that she had an issue with her steering that caused her to veer off the road. Colorado State Patrol told CBS Colorado there were no indicators of impairment, and she was never tested for any substances. "The very first thing that Colorado State Patrol said to us was the driver did everything right," said XXXXXXXXXXX. "That raised a question mark in our head. 'Really, our son is dead. How did the driver do everything right?'" Text messages and cell phone videos presented at trial revealed that the driver, 24-year-old Yeva Smilianska, had been drinking, washing down prescription medications with whiskey, and staying up until the early morning hours the day of the crash. A jury took seven hours before they found her guilty of reckless vehicular homicide, a charge that carries a sentence of up to six years in prison, or as little as probation. CBS "We want people to be held accountable for their actions," said Michael. "It's not about putting people in jail or prison, it's about the right level of accountability for the crime that was committed." From their frustration and grief came an idea, the White Line Foundation. "Magnus's story got so much attention, we started learning all these other stories of kids, these stories deserve to be told just as much as Magnus," he said. The nonprofit was created to honor Magnus, advocate for cyclists, and tell the untold stories. Stories they believe will be a catalyst for change. "It's more about making it better for everybody," Michael said. CBS They're fighting to strengthen penalties in these cases and want to see mandatory drug testing for drivers who injure or kill someone. Nationwide, they are pushing the Magnus White Cyclist Safety Act, requiring every new car to have automatic emergency braking. "The thing about everything we are working on trying to change is we will never know whose life you're going to save, but if we don't do something, if we don't do it with urgency, we are all going to know whose life is not saved," Michael said. It's a promise they hope Magnus hears. "The last time I texted Magnus was August after he was killed. I just said, 'Your dog misses you. He went into your room looking for you today, and we miss you. And I wish you were here to see, tell you all about our day.' And then I told him that 'There's so many people working so hard to ensure you are remembered, and that you lived a life worth remembering.'"
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Yahoo
Careless driving penalties could be strengthened under proposed Colorado bill
DENVER (KDVR) — Parents fought back tears Wednesday at the state Capitol as they prepared to try and convince lawmakers to stiffen penalties for drivers who injure and kill people in crashes. The proposed bill would change the careless driving resulting in death classification from a misdemeanor to a class 6 felony. Maximum sentence of 1 year given to driver who ran red light, killing a 13-year-old The mother of 13-year-old Alex Mackiewicz says the driver who ran a red light and struck and killed her son in Highlands Ranch last year got off way too easily. That driver was sentenced to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine. 'I received a lifetime sentence of constant misery, pain and nightmares until this day I have nightmares of receiving news that my son is dead over and over again,' Alex's mother, Victoria Cegielski, said. She was one of several relatives of people who have been killed by careless drivers who spoke on Wednesday. The mother of 17-year-old Magnus White, who was killed on his bike in Boulder, also spoke. 'If a person kills someone with a car and is charged with careless driving resulting in death, the penalty is the same as shoplifting. We put more value in stealing an iPhone or a North Face jacket than taking a life,' Magnus' mother, Jill White, said. The bill's sponsor says that under current law, careless driving causing serious bodily injury amounts to a class one misdemeanor traffic offense. The proposed bill would increase it to a class 6 felony if a death is involved. Senator John Carson is the bill's co-sponsor. 'We have an issue that's getting worse in our state, and we need to address it,' Senator John Carson said. Carson says that in the past, too many lawmakers felt that increasing penalties did not deter crime. Woman found guilty after hitting and killing 17-year-old Magnus White Too many laws, Carson said, have been weakened in Colorado and the Careless Driving bill is needed now, more than ever. Families are hoping the bill makes it out of committee and goes before the legislature for a vote. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
