Family of Colorado cyclist killed in crash spearheads effort to make roads safer
A family that suffered tragedy when a driver hit and killed their loved one has spearheaded a new organization and statewide community effort. The ultimate goal is prevention. But it's also a chance for families like theirs to share their loved ones' stories, while those who need to know and want to know listen.
Jill and Michael White launched The White Line after the death of their son, cyclist Magnus White. He was hit and killed in 2023 by a driver along Highway 119 in Boulder while he was training.
The organization, advocating for better protections for cyclists, launched a bus tour and Route2Change event. On the bus, there are two kinds of passengers -- those in yellow who share their stories, and those in blue who join to listen.
"We are asking a lot of them, really, to relive, to talk about what happened to them or to a person that they loved," Jill White explained.
Some of the speakers recount their own life-changing moments.
"I was riding to school," Anna Needy shared. "I was in the crosswalk."
Others at Route2Change speak for those who no longer can.
"The SUV hit him with such tremendous force that the impact shattered the entire windshield. The driver didn't stop," read Jacqueline Claudia, The White Line executive director, from a statement provided by the family of John Wilkinson.
Among the quiet listeners are lawmakers, city officials and concerned citizens. Some have joined the ride out of duty, others out of solidarity.
"It's really powerful to be here and talk to victims outside of the courthouse," Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty said.
Each stop brings new voices, new stories and new urgency.
"It's actually been really moving," Democratic state Sen. Judy Amabile said.
Each site promotes discussion about confusing intersections, poorly designed roads and the lack of accountability in the justice system. Many of the crashes weren't tragedy alone; they were preventable. Some drivers had long histories of violations.
"Her complete rap sheet included 13 other motor vehicle-related cases, including three charges of driving with a suspended license," Claudia shared about the crash that changed Myers Graham's life.
The outcomes of the resulting court cases are difficult for families to understand. The White family was among those sharing their story. In June, the driver who killed their son Magnus was sentenced to four years in prison.
The family's hope is that, by hearing these stories not in courtrooms but at the crash sites themselves, decision-makers will leave with more than notes. They'll leave with a new perspective, and that perspective might just be the route to change.
"It's everywhere," Michael White said. "Every single state has this issue where we've normalized our right to drive so much that we've forgotten about human lives, and we just have to bring that back into balance."
