US EditionTrial of driver who killed teen cyclist Magnus White opens in Colorado
- The trial for Yeva Smilianska, accused of reckless vehicular homicide in the 2023 death of 17-year-old cyclist Magnus White, began with jury selection and opening statements on Monday.
- The charges against Smilianska stem from an incident on July 29, 2023, when she struck and killed Magnus White, a competitive cyclist training on Colo. 119 near the 63rd Street intersection.
- Prosecutors argue that Smilianska, who had been up until the early hours of the morning and texted about falling asleep 20 minutes prior to the crash, made the decision to drive despite being exhausted, swerving into the shoulder and striking White with her Toyota Matrix, while the defense claims careless, not reckless, vehicular homicide.
- Deputy Police Chief Stephen Redfearn, first on the scene, reported no signs of intoxication, and investigators determined Smilianska's car had no steering malfunction and that she did not brake before impact; Magnus White suffered fatal blunt force head trauma in the incident, ruled an accident by the Boulder County Coroner's Office.
- Following the tragedy, Magnus White's parents founded the nonprofit 'The White Line' to promote cyclist safety, and U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse introduced The Magnus White Cyclist Safety Act of 2024 to expand automatic emergency braking requirements to include cyclist detection, while a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the parents in May 2025 is stayed pending the outcome of the criminal trial where Smilianska faces two to six years in prison if convicted of reckless vehicular homicide.
30 Articles
30 Articles
San Diego Union Tribune
Trial of driver who killed teen cyclist Magnus White opens in Colorado
USA Cycling junior cyclist Magnus White of Boulder (Ethan Glading / Courtesy of USA Cycling) The trial of a driver accused of hitting and killing a 17-year-old cyclist in Colorado two years ago began Monday afternoon with opening statements from lawyers and emotional testimony from the victim’s father. Yeva Smilianska, 24, is accused of reckless vehicular homicide in the death of Boulder, Colorado, cyclist Magnus White, a rising star who had bee…
Daily Camera
Father testifies on opening day of Magnus White trial in Boulder Monday afternoon
The trial of a woman accused of hitting and killing a 17-year-old cyclist in 2023 began Monday afternoon with opening statements from lawyers and emotional testimony from the victim’s father. Yeva Smilianska, 24, is accused of reckless vehicular homicide relating to the death of cyclist Magnus White, who was fatally struck on Colo. 119, also known as the Diagonal Highway, in 2023. If found guilty, Smilianska faces between two and six years in pr…
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