The trial for driver accused of the killing cycling star Magnus White begins today

The woman who faces charges of vehicular homicide for striking and killing competitive cyclist Magnus White in 2023 is set to stand trial in Boulder County Court after months of postponement. 

Jury selection begins Monday.

Yeva Smilianska is accused of hitting the 17-year-old rising star from behind and killing him. White was training for an international competition.

White’s parents, Jill and Michael, are expected to attend the trial.

Smilianska was scheduled to go to trial in December. But, the prosecutors requested a continuance because of the absence of a state trooper. Both prosecuting and defense attorneys agreed that Trooper Sean McCall’s testimony was essential to the trial.

According to the Longmont Leader, McCall obtained a warrant to drive Smilianska’s car. He wrote in the arrest affidavit that he reached the maximum vehicle-indicated speed of over 50 mph during his drive. He found that the vehicle would pull slightly to the right without any steering input. After an examination by a local mechanic shop, it was determined there was no steering malfunction. Smilianska waived her right to a speedy trial in order to postpone the trial until now.

Smilianska’s charges are a class 4 felony in Colorado and carry a non-mandatory prison sentence of two to six years and/or a fine between $2,000 to $500,000.

According to court documents, Smilianska, a Ukrainian immigrant, was driving a 2004 Toyota Matrix south on Highway 119 south of 63rd Street in Boulder in July 2023. She struck White from behind as he was finishing a training ride 15 minutes away from his home in Gunbarrel.

Smilianska told officers that she lost control of her vehicle due to a steering malfunction. But the arrest affidavit alleges that she fell asleep at the wheel. She pleaded not guilty to one count of felony vehicular homicide in May.

White was considered a rising star in the cycling world at the time of his death. He won the 2021 Junior 17-18 Cyclocross National Championship. He represented the USA Cycling National Team over two full seasons of European Cyclocross racing and at the 2022 and 2023 UCI Cyclocross World Championships. 

He had earned a spot on the U.S. Mountain Bike World Championship team and was preparing to compete at the World Mountain Bike World Championships in Glasgow, Scotland when the accident occurred. He died from his injuries wearing a USA National Team kit.

White’s parents through the White Line Foundation have worked to bring awareness to rider safety through legislation on the local, state and federal levels. 

Last year, the foundation helped organize the Ride for Magnus: Ride For Your Life event in Boulder. Thousands of cyclists from every state and 20 countries rode from CU Boulder’s campus and past Highway 119, near Gunbarrel, the site where White was struck and back. 

Rep. Joe Neguese introduced the Magnus White Cyclist Safety Act of 2024 last December. The bill would require the U.S. Department of Transportation to issue a rule requiring that automatic emergency braking systems be installed on all new passenger motor vehicles as a way of making the roads safer for cyclists. The bill wasn’t picked up last session and has yet to be reintroduced.