The man accused of killing a U.S. cycling champion in a drunk driving wreck in San Francisco may be close to striking a plea deal, but it's raising eyebrows and objections.
Ethan Boyes, 44, was hit and killed, allegedly by a drunk driver, while he was riding his bike on Arguello Boulevard in the Presidio last April.
According to a new filing in federal court, the U.S. attorney’s office has struck a plea deal with the 81-year-old driver who allegedly hit him. The plea agreement would allow him to enter guilty pleas to what amount to misdemeanor charges and face just one year in jail or less.
"In terms of the sentence, I think that it needs to be harsher than a one-year misdemeanor," said James Grady, a friend of Boyes.
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Grady, who organized memorial services for Boyes, said the plea deal sends a message that a driver can kill someone while driving drunk and they’ll just get a slap on the wrist.
"That doesn’t make me feel safe as I’m riding my bike around the city with my 4-year-old son, with my wife, with other people’s families," Grady said.
In court filings, the judge in the case also questioned the deal and whether the driver's alleged drunk driving amounted to “gross negligence.”
Luke Bornheimer, a San Francisco traffic and cycling safety advocate, agrees.
"I find the plea agreement disturbing," he said. "And more broadly in our country, when people are killed by someone driving a car, the consequences are often very minimal."
He also said the city and the Presidio Trust have done next to nothing to make the stretch of roadway any safer for cyclists.
"There’s no concrete protection, actual protection that would keep a car from entering the bike lane," he said. "That’s really what people want to see up there."
The Presidio Trust responded Wednesday with the following statement:
"In late 2023 and early 2024, the Presidio Trust made a series of changes to Arguello Boulevard between the Arguello Gate and Washington Boulevard to reduce vehicle speeds and promote safer bicycle travel and connectivity. These changes have addressed a major concern of cyclists by reducing traffic speeds on Arguello.
"The installation of speed cushions; narrowing of vehicle lanes in key areas to provide a larger buffer between cyclists and drivers; installation of K71 bollards; installation of roadway markings and signage to raise motorist awareness of cyclists and to help cyclists navigate, have all helped to slow traffic and improve safety. The Trust consulted on these changes with the SF Bike Coalition, Kid Safe SF and the San Francisco Cycling Club, and will incorporate their feedback in the next phase of improvement work."
Meanwhile, the driver accused of killing Boyes will be back in court in two weeks.