DENVER (KDVR) — The parents of a 17-year-old cyclist are speaking out after the driver charged in connection to their son’s death rejected a plea deal.

Magnus White, a cycling athlete, was killed on an afternoon in July 2023 while riding his bike on the paved shoulder of Highway 119. He was preparing to compete with the U.S. Cycling National Team in the mountain biking world championships before the crash.

The driver accused of hitting the boy is Yeva Smilianska, 23. She is charged with reckless driving resulting in vehicular homicide in connection to White’s death. She told investigators she had car trouble, but investigators have said they did not find mechanical issues with the vehicle.

Instead, investigators allege that Smilianska most likely fell asleep at the wheel, citing that she said she’d only slept a couple of hours the night before.

In a statement, White’s parents noted that eight months have passed since their son’s death and they have mourned the time with him they lost and all the milestones he could have reached.

“It hurts emotionally and physically as we continue to confront every day without Magnus,” the statement read. “The driver’s decision to not enter a plea at this time and file a motion to extend the proceedings does not surprise us. It only delays the outcome of the case and prolongs our suffering. Each court appearance continues to, and will continue to take us back to reliving the day Magnus was killed.”

The couple implored the court to see White’s death as a crime and not an accident, saying that Smilianska stole his future and “irrevocably destroyed our lives.”

Smilianska posted a $100,000 personal recognizance bond in December and is scheduled to appear in court next on May 24.

White’s family has founded a nonprofit, The White Line, to create change for safer cycling environments and honor their son’s memory.