FORT COLLINS — A driver who pleaded guilty to striking and killing a woman on her bicycle has been sentenced to eight years in prison for felony vehicular homicide.
Daniel Price, 21, of Fort Collins also was sentenced Friday to five years of parole and two years of probation after the prison sentence, and was ordered to volunteer with Mothers Against Drunk Driving.
Police said Price struck 32-year-old Rebecca Allen with his car as she rode her bicycle July 22 in a bike lane. Price was 20 at the time and had a blood-alcohol level of .091 percent, which is above the legal limit for someone old enough to legally drink. His blood also showed the presence of THC, the active compound in marijuana.
Price said he had the tattoo “R. Allen” put on his wrist to remind him of the crash and to be accountable for his actions every day.
Some members of Allen’s family in the courtroom for the sentencing hearing took offense.
“We are appalled by the news of Daniel Price putting her name on his wrist,” Kris O’Brien, the aunt of Allen’s husband, told District Court Judge Jolene Blair. “This was his choice to drink and drive. He cut her life short.”
Price told Blair he wants to learn from his mistake. “I know that I need to go to prison, and I gladly accept that,” he said.
Jennifer Garvey, who was Allen’s cycling partner the morning of the crash and survived with injuries, also attended the sentencing hearing. “I challenge everyone in this courtroom to never get behind the wheel after consuming alcohol. This is a social problem, and it’s an epidemic,” she said.
The judge challenged Price to live a life that honors Allen.
———
Information from: Fort Collins Coloradoan,
