Driver who struck and killed 17-year-old Team USA rider arrested and charged with vehicular homicide

(Image credit: Ride Aperture)

published 13 December 2023

Longmont police have arrested 23-year-old Yeva Smilianska of Westminster, Colorado, in connection with the killing of 17-year-old national team cyclist Magnus White in July.

White was on a final training ride before leaving for the UCI World Championships in Glasgow, Scotland, when he was struck by a car and killed.

According to a crash report, Smilianska experienced 'steering difficulties' which caused her to drift out of her lane and into the paved shoulder where she struck White. According to the first responder's opinion, Smilianska did not appear to have been on her phone, distracted or suffering from a medical episode. No avoidance maneuver was attempted and the car continued to travel into the grass embankment before coming to a halt upon colliding with a fence.

Yeva Smilianska willfully and consciously chose to get behind the wheel of her car, engaging in reckless driving behavior that resulted in the fatal collision into our son Magnus who was struck from behind and ejected from his bicycle. This devastating event occurred on a designated bike route, on a straight road with a 10’ wide shoulder, in broad daylight. We accept that the criminal charge filed against driver Yeva Smilianska is Felony of Vehicular Homicide.

As parents, we teach our children about consequences and accountability. We believe in consequences and accountability when Magnus was alive and we held him to that. Magnus believed in this as well. Yeva Smilianska must be held accountable for her willful and conscious actions when she chose to get behind the wheel of her car that day. It is essential Yeva Smilianska be given the maximum penalty for her crime, not only for her willful actions, but also for the profound pain and suffering endured by Magnus's mother, father, brother, family, friends, teammates and entire community – a dark shadow of grief that will hang over them for the remainder of their lives.

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Cycling Weekly's North American Editor, Anne-Marije Rook is old school. She holds a degree in journalism and started out as a newspaper reporter — in print! She can even be seen bringing a pen and notepad to the press conference.

Originally from The Netherlands, she grew up a bike commuter and didn't find bike racing until her early twenties when living in Seattle, Washington. Strengthened by the many miles spent darting around Seattle's hilly streets on a steel single speed, Rook's progression in the sport was a quick one. As she competed at the elite level, her journalism career followed, and soon she became a full-time cycling journalist. She's now been a cycling journalist for 11 years.

Driver who struck and killed 17-year-old Team USA rider arrested and charged with vehicular homicide

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