BOULDER, Colo. — The driver accused of hitting a 17-year-old Boulder bicyclist who was out on a training ride for a world championship pleaded not guilty to one count of vehicular homicide on Friday.
Magnus White was on the verge of becoming a world-class cyclist when he was struck and killed by a driver near Highway 119 and N. 63rd Street in his hometown of Boulder on the afternoon of July 29, 2023. At the time of the crash, he was proudly wearing his Team USA jersey and training for the Junior Mountain Bike World Championships in Scotland, his family said.
Yeva Smilianska of Westminster, 23, was arrested on Dec. 12 on a charge of vehicular homicide - reckless, which is a Class 4 felony. Smilianska is a refugee who fled Ukraine who fled to the United States to escape the war, and has been living and working in Colorado since, her defense said during an initial hearing in December. They added that she does not have a criminal history in either country. An arrest affidavit read that she appeared to have fallen asleep at the wheel. A judge set a personal recognizance bond at $100,000 at the end of last year.
On Friday morning, an interpreter translated the court proceedings for Smilianska.
The defendant waived the judge's reading of charges against her, and a motions hearing was set for Sept. 4 at 10:30 a.m.
A five-day jury trial was scheduled for Dec. 16.
After the announcement of the Smilianska's arrest late last year, Magnus White's family felt a mix of emotions, but it was far from a celebration for them. Michael White and Jill White spoke with Denver7 at their home on Dec. 14. They were preparing for their first Christmas without their son and couldn't bear to decorate a tree in the house.
"I put a solar-powered Christmas tree by his ghost bike on the side of the road to remind people that there's a child missing Christmas this year," Michael White said.
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Magnus White's parents on grief, their son's memory after driver arrested
The Whites described their son lovingly: He was smart, with a 4.2 GPA in school. He would light up a room. He knew the rules of the road. He was sweet. Funny. Savvy. He used technology to build bike routes using other people's rides and data. His competitive nature came out in races, and it was easy to tell when it was "game on" because he would stick his tongue out, they said.
The investigation started the day of the crash but for almost 20 weeks, the family had few answers to help mend their heartbreak.
“A lot of people were questioning, is there even going to be any charges filed, because it's taking so long," Michael White said.
After the arrest, which led to more details about the crash, the Whites said they were angry that the driver decided to get in the car while she was sleepy.
"So, if a driver falls asleep or texts or drives drunk, it compromises us. Me. And it's just scary," Jill said.
Today, Magnus lingers in every aspect of their lives.
"Not being able to see who the young man was going to become — it's something that we'll never heal from," Michael said. "He'll be with us the rest of our lives.”
Magnus's parents on Tuesday filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Smilianska. The family is seeking more than $100,000 in damages and is asking for a jury trial.
After the crash, a GoFundMe fundraiser was created to support the White family. Funds from there helped start a nonprofit called The White Line, which will advocate for safe roads — including putting rumble strips on that stretch of Highway 119 — help young cyclists compete around the world, and push to increase penalties for careless or reckless driving resulting in death. The nonprofit will also release a series of films titled "Lives Worth Remembering" to highlight the lives of bicyclists killed on the roads, and their impact on the communities.
A 10-minute trailer for the first film, which provides glimpses of Magnus' life as well as his family's grief, was released on Dec. 4. You can watch it here.
