Stephen Meyers

stephenmeyers@coloradoan.com

Wednesday's plea deal sends a message that there are few ramifications for a driver who kills a cyclist on our local roads.

To slam your silver 2003 Toyota Camry into the back of a cyclist riding near Windsor.

To flee the scene of the crash, leaving 46-year-old Ernesto Wiedenbrug lying on the side of the road with severe injuries.

Theresa Marie O'Connor won't be going to jail.

In court Wednesday, O'Connor, 28, pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of a crash, a Class 3 felony, as well as careless driving, a Class 1 traffic offense, in relation to the Jan. 25 vehicle-versus-bike incident that killed Wiedenbrug, who friends called Uncle Ernie.

Time in prison for O'Connor won't be necessary, attorneys agreed.

She could face 4 to 12 years in community corrections if she isn't placed on probation, as determined by Eighth Judicial District Chief Judge Stephen Schapanski.

A judge will determine her specific sentence on July 2, but local cyclists reacted to the "slap on the wrist" plea deal Wednesday with fury.

"No jail time for killing someone? I'm disgusted by all parties involved," Raygina Kohlmeier commented on the Coloradoan .com story.

"The lesson here? If you hit someone with your car, go home and lawyer up first, call the ambulance and the police later. I'm ashamed of our legal system," Larey Kerling said.

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"This is so discouraging. Time and time again a cyclist is killed and the consequences are negligible. Why should drivers care if there aren't significant punishments?" Sam Shelanski said on Facebook.

Plans are already in motion by Fort Collins cycling website Your Group Ride for local cyclists to attend the July 2 sentencing and "pack the courthouse" to show support for Wiedenbrug's family and leave a message for the judicial system that has time and time again favored motorists in vehicle-versus-bike collisions.

In a November 2013 New York Times op-ed about cyclists killed by motorists, journalist Daniel Duane recalled several cases where people were either not charged or merely handed a meager sentence after running into and killing a cyclist.

"When two cars crash, everybody agrees that one of the two drivers may well be to blame; cops consider it their job to gather evidence toward that determination. But when a car hits a bike, it's like there's a collective cultural impulse to say, 'Oh, well, accidents happen,' " Duane wrote.

At 7 p.m. next Wednesday, Fort Collins will participate in the worldwide Ride of Silence event.

The silent ride from City Park, with cyclists wearing black arm bands, hopes to raise cycling awareness and serve as a chance to mourn, in funeral procession style, those who have been killed on the road.

Local cyclists will ride quietly through Fort Collins that night, but their voices have clearly been heard.

Xplore reporter Stephen Meyers covers the outdoors and recreation for The Coloradoan. Follow him on Twitter @stemeyer or Facebook.com/ meyersreports