Pro mountain biker Ben Sonntag killed on Colorado dirt road by 19-year-old driver

[fiamme red]

You're never perfectly safe from distracted drivers, even on remote dirt roads.

https://durangoherald.com/articles/317099

The Colorado State Patrol identified Durango professional mountain biker Benjamin Sonntag as the cyclist killed Wednesday after being hit by a driver in a pickup truck...

Sonntag was traveling north on County Road 105 on his Specialized Tarmac road bicycle when he was struck by a green 1991 Ford Ranger driven by 19-year-old Cordell Schneider of Durango. Schneider was taken to Mercy Regional Medical Center with minor injuries. No charges had been filed as of Thursday morning.

“The pickup truck traveled off the right side of the road, colliding with a fence, continued through a field, and then off an embankment before coming to rest on its right side in Cherry Creek,” the State Patrol said in a news release...

“I’ve ridden that section of Cherry Creek road and that dirt road and haven’t seen any cars,” said Durango’s Todd Wells, a three-time mountain bike Olympian. “A busy ride, you would see maybe four or five cars. I can think of probably 1,000 places I’d guess someone would get hit riding a bike around here, and that wouldn’t even come into the circle of possibilities.”

[nesteel]

What a waste.

[jimcav]

sad news
hoping he wasn't run over from behind, but there is probably no scenario that won't be tragic.

[fiamme red]

Originally Posted by jimcav

sad news
hoping he wasn't run over from behind, but there is probably no scenario that won't be tragic.

According to this article, the driver was traveling in the opposite direction:

https://www.velonews.com/2020/03/new...sonntag_505917

According to a police report, the driver of a pickup truck traveling south on County Road 105 struck Sonntag, who was traveling north. Sonntag died at the scene...

Sonntag was struck while riding along a gravel road southwest of town, near the community of Marvel. Todd Wells said the dirt road makes up a well-known training loop that local pro riders often spin base miles along this time of year. Riders tackle the four-hour loop because of the lack of traffic along the route.

[fiamme red]

https://durangoherald.com/articles/317316

It was a wakeup call for cyclists who have pushed further out onto county roads and pursued gravel cycling. It gets riders further away from high-traffic areas. After Sonnntag’s accident, McElveen said he wondered where he can ride. The lone answer he has come up with is mountain bike trails.

“We’re all seeking more dirt. We call it gravel, but it’s basically dirt roads. We go because of the dangers of riding with cars, and there’s less traffic on roads further out in the county,” said 1990 mountain bike world champion and Durango cycling icon Ned Overend. “It’s unusual to have an accident like that without traffic. And a head-on accident, that’s kind of odd, obviously. Something like this you expect on a crowded road with no shoulder.”

McElveen met with several prominent Durango cyclists at Bread bakery in Durango on Thursday. It wasn’t organized, but several had arrived to a place Sonntag had often held court over the years. As the group talked, it became clear there was a very real fear amongst them. Pro mountain biker Stephan Davoust was set to leave his house that morning for a ride but stopped at the door. He called teammate Cole Paton to see if he would ride with him because he didn’t want to be on the road alone...

[bikinchris]

Lack of traffic doesn't always mean safety. The traffic you do meet doesn't expect you.

[fiamme red]

Update: https://www.durangoherald.com/articl...t-gets-prison/.

A La Plata County man who was convicted of vehicular homicide in the death of professional cyclist Benjamin Sonntag was sentenced Friday to prison.

Sixth Judicial District Judge William Herringer sentenced Cordell Schneider to three years in prison for vehicular homicide after he struck and killed Sonntag, a professional mountain biker, on a county road in March 2020...

[Peter P.]

Thanks for the update.

[fiamme red]

I agree with this letter to the Durango Herald:

https://www.durangoherald.com/articl...yclists-death/

I am writing to express my fury with Judge William Herringer’s recent ruling in the death of Benjamin Sonntag. The defendant was sentenced to only three years in prison for the death of this respected and loved cyclist. He’ll likely be released within 18 months, if not less – yet his family and the cycling community lost a beloved person and rider forever. There is no rational explanation for the judge’s decision.

Obviously, the judge doesn’t know anyone who cycles regularly. If he did, he would know that on every ride, cyclists must behave as though every vehicle might cause their death. The appallingly lenient sentence demonstrated no care for cyclists in this state, and showed that drivers can continue to be as reckless as they like with very little chance of punishment. Driving 30 miles over the posted speed limit on rough country roads is in no way an accident; it is instead a total lack of concern for other humans. The defendant’s involvement and subsequent attempted disappearance from a motorcycle crash while out on bail even more clearly demonstrates his complete disregard for others.

The trucker who carelessly killed four on Interstate 70 received a sentence of 110 years, and the Nevada man who killed five cyclists received a sentence of 40 years. Truly, a pitiful three years (or more likely 18 months) is nothing compared with the loss of Mr. Sonntag. This cavalier sentence was devastating to Mr. Sonntag’s family and the Colorado cycling community. Judge Herringer should be ashamed.

Elizabeth Buckingham

Cedaredge

[Gianni Bianchi]

This is brutal. Before I read the links I figured the kid had to be driving waaaay too fast and guessing he lost control? Is it possible he did this on purpose?

Where i live (Ontario) if you kill a cyclist it's basically a $150 fine with the charge of dangerous driving. That's all our lives are worth here so where's the deterrent? One guy who hit me four years ago, broke my wrist (thankfully that's all) and he got a $100 fine for failing to yield or some such nonsense.

Until the legal systems everywhere start dishing out punishments that are an actual deterrent, sadly nothing will change.

[madsciencenow]

Originally Posted by Gianni Bianchi

This is brutal. Before I read the links I figured the kid had to be driving waaaay too fast and guessing he lost control? Is it possible he did this on purpose?

Where i live (Ontario) if you kill a cyclist it's basically a $150 fine with the charge of dangerous driving. That's all our lives are worth here so where's the deterrent? One guy who hit me four years ago, broke my wrist (thankfully that's all) and he got a $100 fine for failing to yield or some such nonsense.

Until the legal systems everywhere start dishing out punishments that are an actual deterrent, sadly nothing will change.

Do cyclist have a right to ride on the road in Ontario? Is this true for all of Canada?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[RFC]

Originally Posted by fiamme red

I agree with this letter to the Durango Herald:

https://www.durangoherald.com/articl...yclists-death/

I would need to know a couple of thngs before I could opine about whether this is a fair sentence.

First, how does it compare with vehicular homicide sentences not involving a cyclist, i.e., a pedestrian or another car?

Second, was there any evidence of intent to harm or harass the cyclist as opposed to being a careless accident? If I recall correctly, in one or more of the cases you site there was such evidence.

[Gianni Bianchi]

Originally Posted by madsciencenow

Do cyclist have a right to ride on the road in Ontario? Is this true for all of Canada?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yes, the Highway Traffic Act applies to cyclists. The driver's handbooks instructs how to safely pass cyclists. Legislation says legally drivers have to give us 1m of passing space (yet the same gov't says 2m distance for covid). And of course the entire Act applies to cyclists and how we operate our bicycles on the road, so speeding tickets, running stops, illegal turns etc., all apply.

It's just that without proving intent to harm, a cyclist's life is worth a $150 ticket. Proving intent makes it a criminal case iirc. But how do you prove intent unless you have witnesses who say someone purposely ran you over. But again, a driver could say 'i was only trying to scare him, I didn't intend to kill him' and it's done. The legal system in Canada is well and truly messed up.

[Clean39T]

William L. Herringer - 6th Judicial District Judge

Phone: 970-247-2304

1060 E. Second Avenue
Room #106
Durango CO 81301

[Clean39T]

https://www.durangoherald.com/articl...s-resignation/

Sixth Judicial District Judge William Herringer has announced his upcoming retirement. Herringer’s last day with the district is scheduled for March 9.

In an interview Friday with The Durango Herald, Herringer, 56, said he has reached a point in his career where it makes sense to start working less.

He was sworn into the judgeship on April 17, 2013, but he started his legal career in October 1993, as a public defender. Herringer worked as a lawyer for 20 years and served as a judge in La Plata County for nearly nine years.

“It’s been an absolute privilege to be able to serve the state of Colorado and our district and La Plata County,” he said. “It’s an incredibly rewarding but also challenging job.”

The judge complemented his “extraordinary colleagues and staff” and said the people who work in the 6th Judicial District are amazing.

“People often have negative things to say about government,” he said. “If they could see how hard the people in this building work and how seriously they take their job, I think that that would really go a long way to change the public’s view of public servants.”

Making the right decision is usually harder than one might suspect, Herringer said. He said in his role as judge he tries to look at things with an open mind, listen to people and get the best understanding of the law that he can in order to make the best possible decision.

He said 50% of the people in his courtroom would disagree with pretty much any decision he makes. Sometimes, everybody leaves unhappy. But Herringer tries to bring his best to a challenging and important job, he said.

“You’re making decisions about people’s lives, often about people that are strangers and (without) as much information as you’d like to have,” he said. “I really tried to listen to people and be fair and make the best decision possible.”

Herringer said not too much has changed during the past nine years, but there is a “greater sensitivity” to providing greater access to justice. But he noted the judicial system is a large institution dictated by the Colorado Legislature, and it does not change quickly.

“It’s not nimble,” he said. “I think there’s signs that it’s headed in the right directions in some aspects, but I think there’s always going to be room for improvement.”

He said it is tremendously difficult to put people into prison. He described cases where children have been victimized or neglected as “incredibly difficult to deal with.”

Other challenging cases are homicides – where somebody has lost a loved one.

“There’s nothing you can ever do to make those victims feel even remotely that justice has been done,” Herringer said. “They’ve lost somebody, you can’t replace them.”

The district judge said he wants to keep working in some capacity, but he doesn’t know what that will be. Although Herringer is still contemplating his options for the near future, he doesn’t have any plans to wave goodbye to Durango, where he’s worked his whole career.