$353 Million Awarded to Family of Cyclist Killed by Driver

A civil trial jury has awarded a family over $350 million. The case is against a driver who struck and killed Gwen Erffmeyer Inglis in Lakewood in 2021.

In May 2021, Inglis, a champion cyclist, was struck and killed by Ryan Montoya, a drug-impaired driver. The 46-year-old cyclist was riding in a bike lane with her husband, Mike Inglis, when she was hit by Montoya.

Montoya was sentenced to 8 years in prison in June. His family feels like his sentence is not enough justice. With this verdict, the victim’s husband, Michael Inglis, stated that he believes justice has been served. 

He has now been awarded a total of $353 million for losses, injuries, and punitive damages, though he has stated that no amount of money will ever bring his wife back.

“When that verdict came down, it really was a culmination of the 19 months, the stress the underlying sorrow of not having Gwen there and then knowing that we would always have to go to trial and rehash that day, no one should ever have to go through that.”

The family understand that no money can bring their loved one back, but they hope this will draw the attention of other motorists on the road and make others think twice about driving under the influence.

“Now that we have closure on the civil action, it feels like we can kind of have a little bit of closure to this really horrific thing that has occurred to our family,” said Gwen’s brother, Keith Errfmeyer.

The family remains optimistic that more will be done to protect cyclists on the road. 

“Other than the deterrence to the drivers, which obviously the verdict is a major key to that, if the county and the cities could implement some basic safety features on the roadway … a rumble strip next to the line could have saved Gwen’s life. And that is a very minimal cost.”

Montoya was driving under the influence of drugs when his vehicle collided with Inglis. It was not Montoya’s first time doing so. He had previously been convicted of a DUI in 2014 and was charged with another DUI 10 days before the May 2021 murder.

The jury decided that $250 million of the total amount was in punitive damages. It is intended to deter others from driving on the road while engaged in that behavior. By sending this message, the jury hopes to keep others safe.

Source: https://www.cbsnews.com/colorado/news/gwen-inglis-colorado-cyclist-killed-driver-353-million-civil-case-ryan-montoya/