Texas State Troopers filed charges Wednesday against the
Liberty County driver who in October hit a group of six cyclists on a
cross-country trip, killing one of them.
Michael Weaver, 66, is charged with criminally negligent
homicide, according to Sgt. Erik Burse of the Texas Department of Public
Safety. The six cyclists were pedaling along FM 787 near Rye, Texas, around 11
a.m. on Oct. 30 when Weaver steered his Ford Escape into the group. Kent
Wosepka, a 51-year-old cycling enthusiast from Massachusetts, was air lifted to
a Beaumont hospital, where he died the next day. Two others, including
Wosepka's fiancée, were also hospitalized in serious condition. None of the
other cyclists were injured.
Weaver told troopers investigating the crash that he was blind
in one eye and had impaired vision in the other, according to a crash report.
Troopers also claim Weaver failed to control his speed when he slammed into the
group. Wosepka was the first of the three to get hit, according to a diagram of
the crash.
Weaver is facing up to two years in jail if he's convicted.
Online court records in Liberty County do not yet reflect the charges and it's
unclear if he has been arrested yet.
Kent Wosepka , 51, died after a driver crashed into a group
of cyclists in Liberty County on Saturday, Oct. 30, 2021. His fiancée, Betsy
O'Brien, 54, was severely injured.
Wosepka and his fiancée, Betsy O'Brien, pushed off from San
Diego on a cross-country bike ride Sept. 13, pedaling through the southern U.S.
on their way to St. Augustine, Florida. They met up with another group on a
similar trip, and the two joined to form the final group that was eventually
involved in the collision.
As the ride unfolded, Wosepka frequently posted updates to
Strava a digital service for logging cycling miles, running routes and other
activities. The day before the crash, Wosepka noted that he'd witnessed an
increase in dangerous driving after crossing into Texas while riding his
steel-framed Masi.
"Still in Texas," Wosepka posted on Strava the
Friday before the collision. "Worst drivers so far."
