BOULDER, Colo. — Magnus White's parents say their son’s death could have been prevented.
Jill and Michael White are speaking out for the first time since their 17-year-old son was killed July 29 while riding his bicycle along Highway 119 in Boulder County.
“It’s just hard to believe that we’re here doing this, talking about this and that it happened,” said Jill White.
Magnus was a cyclist on the U.S. National Team and was preparing for the World Championships in Scotland when Yeva Smilianska hit him with her car.
Smilianska was charged with vehicular homicide earlier this week. Investigators said she fell asleep at the wheel, causing her vehicle to smash into Magnus. Court documents said Smilianska’s vehicle continued down a grass embankment and stopped after colliding into a metal fence.
“The charges just bring us back to the day he died,” said Michael White. “It’s not really a relief or anything because we’re still carrying the weight of the loss of Magnus. It's angering because you read about what led up to it and why the person got behind the wheel of their car that day.”
After Smilianska’s arrest, the affidavit was released divulging more about the driver and what happened at the scene.
“There were some details in the affidavit that we didn't know about that happened to Magnus, like how he got hit, how far he was thrown, where he landed,” said Michael White. “To know he died violently, it’s hard to reconcile that.”
According to the affidavit, Magnus landed 60 feet away from the spot where he was hit. Boulder Police Deputy Chief Stephen Redfearn was the first officer on the scene. He said he saw Magnus lying in the grass, gasping for air, and his body was shaking.
The affidavit said Smilianska told a witness that she fell asleep while driving. But in her report to police, Smilianska wrote that her car was having issues. She said, in part, that her vehicle stopped listening to her and she lost control of her steering wheel. Officers stated that they did not believe Smilianska was under the influence.
The document showed that when an investigator drove the car, he noted that the vehicle pulled to the right but there was no evidence of a vehicle malfunction.
The investigation also included a look at cell phone records. According to the affidavit, about 20 minutes before the crash, Smilianska sent a text message stating she was tired and was going home.
“You play multiple scenarios in your head about what could’ve happened, why, how, and then to know more of the story fills in those blanks,” said Jill White. “It’s hard and it becomes real.”
Michael White said Magnus knew the rules of the road and what to do to stay safe around vehicles. “[Magnus] was doing everything right,” he said.
There's nothing that he could have prevented or done differently at all,” said Jill White. “I mean, that was a route he's taken dozens of times. He goes out on the road, but he always came back."
While Magnus was out riding that day, Michael White was at home tracking his son’s location.
“Two minutes before it happened, I saw him and he was on 63rd St., he was 15 minutes from home and he was moving,” said Michael White.
The next time he checked on his son, it showed Magnus was at the hospital where he later died from his injuries.
Magnus's family started a non-profit called THE WHITE LINE. They’re working to raise awareness about bicycle and automobile safety, hoping to create safer cycling environments.
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