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 been scheduled to race on the U.S. national team. He 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 prison. Smilianska is currently free on bond. She is set for a five-day jury trial this week.

On Monday afternoon, the left side of the courtroom in Boulder District Court was packed shoulder to shoulder by family members and friends of White. The seats on the right side of the courtroom were sparse and mainly occupied by media.

Following opening statements, Michael White, the father of Magnus, took the stand as the first witness in the case. He spoke through tears about his son and the day he was killed.

“When Magnus was born, the doctors said he was the perfect mix of his mother and I,” Michael White said. “He took the best of both of us. He was the kind of kid who was never bored; always wanted to be active, doing something.”

Michael White said Magnus loved to drive his Subaru and loved skiing, was very close with his brother despite a 6-year age gap, and had a 4.2 GPA. The father said he was the first to take his son for a bike ride on the Diagonal, five years prior to his death.

“I told him it was safe to ride because it has a 10-foot shoulder… ‘As long as you stay all the way right, you’ll be fine,’” Michael White said.

The father then described seeing his son for the first time after the crash.

“When I saw him, he still had his cycling clothes on. He had dirt over the right side of his face. His head was really swollen. There was white fluid coming out of his ears. And there was just so much blood coming out of his mouth and everywhere,” Michael White said. “I had to turn away.”

Throughout his testimony, Michael White paused to drink water and wipe away tears. Above him, photos of his son were displayed on a TV monitor.

Prior to Michael White’s testimony, Deputy District Attorney Trish Mittelstadt addressed 14 members of the jury and told them about some of the evidence they will likely hear this week.

Mittelstadt said Smilianska made the decision to hit Magnus and that her decision to stay up into the early hours of the morning led her to doze off behind the wheel.

“She took this step. She made this decision. That is why we are here today. That is why Magnus is dead,” Mittelstadt said.

Mittelstadt showed the jury a series of photos of Magnus as well as pictures of the scene following the crash. Mittelstadt said that Smilianska took a substantial risk by driving and that despite witnesses saying she swerved into the shoulder multiple times, she did not stop the car.

“The defendant drove straight into Magnus White — killing him,” Mittelstadt said. “She took no steps to stop… no steps to avoid hitting Magnus. She did not even know she struck him, despite what her window looked like.”

Mittelstadt continued, “This is not a case where she clipped his handlebars. This is a case where the defendant made a choice; a choice to get behind the wheel when she knew she was tired, knew she was falling asleep.”

Defense attorney Timur Kishinevsky told the jury that he would ask them to find Smilianska guilty of careless vehicular homicide, not reckless.

“This is a horrific tragedy, there’s no other way to describe it,” Kishinevsky said. “…The defendant does not dispute that she struck Mr. White, ultimately causing him to perish.”

Kishinevsky said there is no evidence that Smilianska drove an excessive speed, was intoxicated, was tailgating or weaving between lanes, or engaging in road rage. The defense lawyer also added that Smilianska was extremely emotional after she realized the extent of the injuries to Magnus.

Kishinevsky had no cross-examination for Michael White but said he was sorry for White’s loss.

Magnus White was riding his Trek Model Emonda SL 7 bike southbound on Colo. 119 at 12:33 p.m. July 29, 2023, when he was hit by Smilianska, who was driving a Toyota Matrix that had crossed from the righthand lane into the shoulder, according to Colorado State Patrol Trooper Gabriel Moltrer.

Magnus was thrown from his bike and was taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Smilianska was the only person in her car at the time of the crash.

Stephen Redfearn, who was Boulder’s deputy police chief at the time and is now the police chief, was first on the scene and later told investigators he briefly spoke with Smilianska and reported no sign of intoxication.

Investigators said in an arrest affidavit that “based on the totality of circumstances, it appears most likely that Smilianska was asleep at the time of the crash.”

Smilianska received “very little sleep” the night before, when she reportedly stayed up until about 6 a.m. at a friend’s house in Longmont, according to the affidavit. The morning of White’s death, Smilianska texted a witness 20 minutes prior to the crash that she was falling asleep.

Witnesses told police that they observed Smilianska veer out of the lane and onto the right shoulder multiple times before hitting Magnus.

Smilianska told police the car had a steering malfunction, and she did not fall asleep, according to the affidavit. Smilianska said the crash was not her fault, but that she was a participant, according to police. She also stated that she felt “physically great” but “emotionally tired” the morning of the crash, police said. Smilianska told police that she did not see White prior to the incident and felt “fuzzy” during the crash.

But a Colorado State Patrol investigation determined that there wasn’t a steering malfunction in Smilianska’s car, and there was no evidence that she braked while driving toward White.

Smilianska has no criminal record. The affidavit also indicated Smilianska’s license was canceled after the crash due to “a failure of her re-examination.”

The Boulder County Coroner’s Office determined that Magnus White died from blunt force head trauma as a result of the crash, and the manner of death was ruled to be an accident, according to the affidavit.

Magnus’s parents founded a nonprofit in their son’s honor called the “The White Line.” It was founded “to preserve, honor, and use the legacy of U.S. National Team Member and U.S. National Champion Magnus White to inspire cyclists globally, to support their development, to raise awareness of bicycle and automobile safety and create change for safer cycling environments,” according to a news release.

In May 2025, Magnus’s parents filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Smilianska. According to court documents, the civil action is stayed, pending the conclusion of Smilianska’s criminal matter.