Ethan Boyes
San Francisco, d.4.April.2023
Killed in traffic by a drunk driver
San Francisco bike messenger and World Cycling Champion Ethan Boyes
was killed on April 4, 2023 by a drunk driver while Ethan was riding
his bike in the Presidio. Ethan was a 10-time national champion and
at the time of his death he held the world record for men aged 35-39
in the 1,000-meter time trial.
I can't explain how much my brother means to me. He's been my rock
throughout my whole life. Gave me support and love through every
challenge , victory, and defeat I faced so far on my journey as a
human. I had to say good bye to him about a week ago, and I haven't
had the strength to check in here and see what's been happening.
I am positive many people have reached out and asked if they could
help, and we're not able to find a way to do so. We have some
wonderful friends from his community that have set up a site to
share memories, help the family cover the costs surrounding his
passing, and invite his community to share in events to celebrate
his life. - Noah Boyes
Ethan Boyes was a veteran messenger and an amazing and passionate
cyclist that showed great promise and accomplishments in the world
of racing. I only met him once several years ago at the Island.
Tragically, Ethan was struck and killed by an elderly drunk driver
that crossed the double yellow lines at Arguello & Washington in
the presidio 2 years ago. We'll also be remembering his spirit and
his presence in our messenger community. Sending love and
condolences to his family and friends - Dogpaw Carrillo
My friend Ethan Boyes was killed by a(n allegedly drunk) driver
while riding his bike on Tuesday. Ethan was an iconoclast who
marched to the beat of his own drummer. For years he ran a
successful bike courier company in SF, and through that discovered
The Gift. He has several national and world championships and is the
current World Record holder for the masters 35-39 1k. He once told
me that, in pure numbers, he could beat Mark Cavendish in a sprint.
And you know what? I believe him.
Two weeks ago at the Santa Cruz Crit, we were sitting on the curb by
the finish line and, in one smooth motion, Ethan grabbed my 3 year
old son and plopped him on his knee. Ethan spent the next 10 minutes
or so pointing out things in the race. He then took my son by the
hand across the street to a little table that was setup with snacks
being sold as a fundraiser. My son rushed back over, absolutely
overjoyed at having suckered Ethan into giving him *more* treats.
Ethan was gentle and kind, but didn't talk down to him. It proved
what I already knew: that Ethan was a genuinely kind person. There
was never a time when I wasn't happy to see him.
We are holding a vigil for Ethan at the scene of the crime tonight,
April 7 @ 7PM. The location is about 200m west of Inspiration Point
in the Presidio. Please come and show your support. Wear bright
clothes and please have lights on your bikes. I'm so sorry, Ethan.
You didn't deserve this. You were loved by so many and will be
deeply missed by all - missioncrit
On April 4, 2023, we lost our friend Ethan J Boyes. Ethan was riding
his bike along Arguello Blvd in the Presidio of San Francisco, when
the driver of a car crashed their vehicle into him. Ethan was a rad
dude and also happened to be a world record holding cyclist and a
good friend for a lot of years when I lived in SF. If you can,
please consider a donation to help the family pay for funeral costs
and future memorial efforts - James Spektrum
Ethan will be missed. He was genuine and so educated on
cycling sharing his knowledge with me during my courier shift
when we met to watch velo races - smaishketchum
Rest in power Ethan. Much love! - bikedumps
He was the one who always encouraged me to push myself to my limit
and find potential to reach out farther. RIP Ethan. - derpybernie
A true legend. I will never forget him - wndowlicker
Ethan Boyes.. my role model, rest in peace forever Ethan Boyes -
jotacontree
He was the best of us, that's not hyperbole, heartbreaking -
discipline
This is so sad/angering to hear. Ethan was a good dude. I still
remember chatting with him about bikes for way too long when I
should have been working on them while at work - jonathanstynes
THE Polo Felid Legend - coleamaya
An all time strava king. What a tragedy - harryelworthy
No more deaths in tired of having to keep my head on my shoulder -
kevthc
No00000000 I am so sorry for your and our communities loss. I just
want to hold my breathe and make these painful losses stop. I'm so
so sorry - huffyusa
I'm there with you in spirit for the vigil. A fantastic human and an
amazing friend. And yes... incredible with kids. Mine adored him
too. May his memory be a blessing - asiegel993
Dear Ethan, May everyone have a friend like you. The kind who lifts
a person up when they're not sure they'll ever stand again. The kind
who sees the ones around them so fully and clearly and who offers
actions right alongside words of affirmation to show it. The kind
who shows up, always-no questions asked, and without any motive
other than compassion and presence. The kind who, when folks need a
reminder of their self worth, checks in with exactly the right words
at exactly the right time. The kind who it is objectively impossible
to be grumpy around. The kind who believes their people to be strong
and capable and worthy-and to such a degree that those people
believe that truth about themselves more so, too. We are all better
for having known you, Ethan. I sure wish we could have had one more
meal together. One more race. One more shenanigan. One more laugh
over coffee. One more adventure. I'll miss you forever buddy. Love
you. Be at peace. Please don't let a day go by where you don't tell
your humans how much you love them or how much they mean to you. You
just don't ever know how much time is left - pocketsizesasquatch
Cycling champion Ethan Boyes dies after being struck by a car in
San Francisco
CNN, April 8, 2023
Ethan Boyes, a winner of multiple cycling championships, died after
he was struck by a car in San Francisco on Tuesday, according to
police. Boyes was a 10-time national champion and currently holds
the world record for men aged 35-39 in the 1,000-meter time trial,
according to USA Cycling, the governing body for cycling in the US.
Boyes was cycling on Arguello Boulevard, south of Washington
Boulevard in San Francisco's Presidio Park, at around 4 pm on
Tuesday when a car hit him, according to United States Park Police
on Saturday. The park police responded to the scene. Boyes was
transferred to the hospital with life-threatening injuries and later
pronounced dead, U.S. Park Police told CNN. The driver of the
vehicle was also transported to the hospital for treatment of
non-life-threatening injuries, according to police. The U.S. Park
Police are investigating the incident with the US Attorney's Office.
"We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Ethan Boyes," USA
Cycling said in a statement on Friday, "His loss will be felt at
local, regional, national, and world events for years, as he brought
a mixture of competition and friendliness to every race. Our
thoughts are with his family and loved ones."
The Velo Sports Center, where Boyes trained, praised his
contributions to the sport of cycling. "We are devastated and
heartbroken to learn of the sudden and untimely loss of Ethan
Boyes," the center wrote on Instagram. "His trademark tuck and
blender smooth stroke made him deceptively fast-ask anyone who raced
against him. He loved riding and racing the track, and he was
exceptional at it."
The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition also issued a statement mourning
Boyes' death. "Today, we join the bicycling community in mourning
Ethan Boyes, who was struck by a vehicle while riding his bike in
the Presidio," wrote the coalition on Friday. "Ethan was a champion
bicycle racer and beloved figure in the bicycling community."
Cyclist's friends disappointed intoxicated driver given no prison
time for killing cyclist Ethan Boyes
Boyes' loved ones divided on whether or not the driver should be
incarcerated. He will serve one year of home confinement and pay a
$25,000 fine.
By Noah Baustin
The San Francisco Standard, July 15, 2024
Judge James Donato faced a fraught decision Monday when sentencing
the driver who struck and killed champion cyclist Ethan Boyes in San
Francisco's Presidio on April 4, 2023. While Boyes' parents lobbied
the judge to keep their son's killer out of prison, the cyclist's
longtime partner wanted the perpetrator, who was intoxicated during
the crash, to serve time behind bars.
In the end, Donato sentenced the 82-year-old driver, Arnold Low, to
one year of home confinement, one year of supervised release and a
$25,000 fine. Low will not serve any time in prison. "He's getting
off with nothing," Boyes' partner, Kate Wilson, said after the
hearing.
Throughout Monday's hearing, Donato criticized the decision by the
U.S. Attorney's Office to offer Low a plea deal for misdemeanor
manslaughter, a lesser charge than the felony manslaughter charge it
originally filed. "I think it sends a terrible, terrible message to
people who might be tempted to drive drunk," Donato said, noting the
decades-long national campaign to discourage drunk driving. "It just
pulls the rug out from all those efforts."
Low pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor manslaughter charge, which
carries a maximum sentence of one year of incarceration, though the
prosecutor recommended 24 months of probation and no prison time.
Low also pleaded guilty to operating a motor vehicle while under the
influence of alcohol. Choking back tears, Low addressed the
courtroom ahead of the judge's ruling, telling Boyes' relatives,
many of whom were in attendance, that he thought about them every
day.
"I am haunted by this," Low said. "My world will never be the same,
because your world will never be the same." Low agreed never to
drive again, according to his defense attorney.
Boyes' death made national news as San Francisco's cycling community
mourned the loss of the former USA Cycling Masters champion, who was
struck down on Arguello Boulevard in the Presidio doing what he
loved: riding his bike. Amid the grief, the incident quickly became
a rallying cry for cycling advocates in their battle to improve
street safety in the city. But when the case moved into the
courtroom, a thorny question emerged: What punishment, if any, was
right for the elderly driver who struck and killed the 44-year-old
cyclist? Boyes' loved ones split on what they thought he would have
wanted; some said he would have advocated for leniency, and others
argued that he would want to see a harsh punishment to discourage
driving after drinking. Further complicating the case, the
prosecution's expert concluded that Low's blood alcohol content at
the time of the crash may have been below the state's legal limit.
In November 2023, federal prosecutors accused Low of killing Boyes
while driving under the influence of alcohol and charged him with
felony involuntary manslaughter. (The case played out in federal
court since the Presidio is managed by the federal government.) But
four months later, prosecutors downgraded the felony charge to a
misdemeanor, which comes with a much lower maximum prison
sentence-one year instead of six. That sparked an outcry. Boyes'
partner, Wilson, wrote a letter to the judge.
"Ethan would have wanted people to be held accountable for their
actions and to get the consequences they deserve," Wilson wrote. "I
think Ethan would have wanted the driver, no matter his age, to be
prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law in order to protect
other cyclists from harm."
"All [Ethan's] friends think [Low] should get the maximum," Wilson
told The Standard ahead of the hearing. Boyes' family, meanwhile,
went the opposite direction, pushing the judge to consider a lenient
sentence.
"It is our sincerest belief that Ethan would in no way want to see
Mr. Low incarcerated, nor would he have wanted our family or Mr. Low
and his family to endure the lengthy and painful process that a
criminal trial will surely entail," Boyes' mother, father and
brothers wrote in a joint letter. "We all grieve differently. That's
all I can tell you," Penny Boyes told The Standard, when asked about
the schism between her son's partner and his family.
Wilson, meanwhile, said Boyes was hit by vehicles multiple times
when he worked as a bike messenger and didn't want others to go
through the same experience. That's why she thinks Boyes would have
wanted Low sentenced to prison. Boyes "wouldn't want people to think
that they can drink and drive and get away with it," she said.
Wilson said she felt she had less say in the direction of the case
than Boyes' biological family, since the pair were not married,
though they dated for more than six years.
During the sentencing, Donato, the judge, acknowledged the wishes of
both Wilson and Penny Boyes, each of whom read statements. Donato
made it clear, however, that his decision was driven by a larger
sense of justice for the public, not just the desires of Boyes'
loved ones. "We are not just here to serve the family of the victim
or the defendant," Donato said.
While federal judges have no obligation to follow the wishes of a
victim's relatives when it comes time for sentencing, they typically
take the family's input seriously, according to Jeremy Fogel, who
served as a federal judge in San Francisco for more than a decade
and now leads the UC Berkeley Judicial Institute. When victims
disagree on what sentence they want to see, it makes an already
complex matter even trickier. "I would say categorically that
sentencing is the hardest thing that high-level judges do," Fogel
said. "You have to make your own judgment, your own assessment."
On April 4, 2023, Low drove his 2008 Honda Fit to a friend's home in
San Francisco's Richmond neighborhood, according to court documents.
That friend drove him to a funeral reception at Original Joe's, a
restaurant in Daly City. Surveillance footage shows Low drinking at
least two glasses of wine between about 1 p.m. and 2:40 p.m.,
although the camera was obscured for a portion of the event.
According to the prosecution, upon leaving the event, Low did not
appear visibly "sloppy" in surveillance footage. The San Francisco
native then rode as a passenger back to the Richmond, where he
picked up his car and began driving. Just before he entered the
Presidio, a camera captured Low stopping at a stop sign and
traveling at a normal speed.
But just a quarter mile later, as Low drove north up the hill on
Arguello Boulevard, his car struck the right-hand curb on a curve,
according to court documents. Low overcorrected, veering across the
lane of oncoming traffic and into the southbound bicycle lane, where
Boyes was cycling south. Prosecutors' crash reconstruction expert
later concluded that Low likely did not brake after hitting the
curb, possibly indicating pedal confusion(opens in new tab), in
which drivers mistake the gas for the brake.
When law enforcement arrived at the scene around 3:55 p.m., they
found Boyes lodged halfway inside the smashed windshield of Low's
Honda Fit. He was pronounced dead at the hospital less than an hour
later. Low was also taken in for medical treatment. A law
enforcement officer visited him in the hospital and asked him to
take a blood alcohol test. "I'm screwed anyways, right, so I should
just take the test?" Low said, according to court documents. "You
know I have nothing to hide. I know I've been drinking."
At 6:35 p.m., about two hours and 40 minutes after the crash, Low's
blood alcohol concentration was 0.04%, half California's legal limit
of 0.08%. Later, prosecutors hired a forensic toxicologist who
estimated that at the time of the crash, Low's blood alcohol content
was likely between 0.068% and 0.081%. "Though not definitively
above the legal limit, there is no dispute that the amount of
alcohol in [Low's] system rendered him incapable of operating his
vehicle in a safe manner," prosecutor George Hageman wrote in his
sentencing memo. "Put simply, Low's decision to drive under the
influence of alcohol-even this relatively smaller amount-resulted in
Ethan Boyes's death."
Low's defense attorney cast that same set of facts in a different
light. "Despite the fact that he was most probably below the legal
limit, Mr. Low, who felt terrible remorse for the tragedy, chose to
accept responsibility in accordance with the family's wishes," he
wrote in a court filing. "It was the least he could do for them."
Prior to pleading guilty, Low paid $9,000 in restitution to Boyes'
parents to help cover medical and funeral bills, and $15,000 to
Wilson for lost future income, according to his attorney. Low, for
his part, expressed deep regret for hitting Boyes with his car.
"I will never know the depth of pain I have caused [Boyes'] loved
ones and greater community," Low told probation officials, according
to court filings. A "devastating feeling of remorse and sadness has
lingered over my life since the traffic accident and will stay with
me for the remainder of my life." But Wilson worried that
prosecutors' choice to allow Low to plead guilty to misdemeanor
charges could send the wrong message to the public. "Things in the
future aren't going to change for drunk driving if every case,
especially a national case, doesn't get looked at properly," she
said.
