Thursday, April 15, 2010

front page of the statesman this morning

Almost a year after one of the most high-profile fatal traffic crashes in the Treasure Valley, the boy who struck and killed a cyclist on Hill Road learned his punishment - and so did the family and friends of Kevin Pavlis, though most may never know the name of the teen driver.

Eric Pavlis, the older brother of the well-known cyclist, said Wednesday he thought the sentence was "mostly fair."

"I thought the (teen) displayed real, heartfelt remorse for what happened," Eric Pavlis said.

The crash was the third to kill a cyclist in Boise in less than a month last spring, and sparked an outcry for the boy to be punished that only grew in intensity over the five months the prosecutors took to contemplate the charges.

Fourth District Juvenile Judge William Harrigfeld has decided not to identify the teen publicly - an option since the boy was charged as a juvenile - but Harrigfeld did release the sentence.

Along with jail time and community service, the boy must serve probation for three years and have all driving privileges suspended for at least one year.

He must undergo counseling, attend safe driving class and pay an undisclosed amount of restitution to Pavlis' family.

The boy pleaded guilty last month to misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter.

The maximum punishment was up to 90 days in a detention center, three years of probation, and loss of driving privileges for up to three years.

Prosecutors did not disclose whether any recommendations for community service were made, but did say such decisions are usually made by the probation officer handling the case.

The teen will serve his 10 days in a juvenile facility when school is out and can ask to be released from probation after 18 months - if he has complied with all terms of his probation.

Kevin Pavlis, 37, of Boise died after being hit on his bike June 11 on Hill Road in Boise's North End.

Boise police reports indicate Pavlis was riding legally in the eastbound bike lane on Hill Road when the boy turned his Jeep Wrangler into the cyclist, who was ahead of a group of other riders.

Another motorist on Hill Road at the time told police she saw the teen signal "a left turn and make a left quickly as if to beat (the group of cyclists) to the intersection," according to the Idaho Vehicle Collision report on the crash.

Pavlis was thrown from his bike to the ground, and though he was wearing a helmet, he sustained a head injury and died a short time later.

The teen admitted in March that he failed to yield the right of way to Pavlis when he made the left turn onto Smith Road, according to a press release issued Wednesday from Ada County Prosecutor Greg Bower.

Eric Pavlis said he remains "heartbroken" over losing his brother and said he really hopes that the death works as a powerful reminder for both cyclists and drivers to pay close attention and look out for each other.

"If anything good could come out of this, that would be it," Eric Pavlis said.

Bower said Wednesday he hoped providing information about the boy's sentence "will remind teen drivers and their parents of a driver's responsibility to be vigilant for, and attentive to, cyclists who use our community roadways."

Pavlis helped manage Boise's Idaho Mountain Touring outdoor-recreation store. He spent a lot of his free time with local cycling groups like the Lactic Acid Cycling Race Team.

A "ghost bike" tribute created by a cyclist who knew Pavlis - a bike painted white and chained to a fence - still sits near the intersection at Hill and Smith roads.

Survivors include his wife, Elise, and their daughter, Sarma, who is named after Pavlis' mother. She was 2 when her father died.

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