The hit-and-run motorist who struck two cyclists near Evergreen on Father’s Day last year was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Monday, the maximum that Judge Jeffrey R. Pilkington could impose under a plea deal negotiated with the Jefferson County district attorney’s office
Cyclist Lisa Ludwig of Evergreen suffered a traumatic brain injury, three broken ribs, a broken shoulder blade and two broken vertebrae when she was struck by a car driven by Haley Mill, whose legal name is Alan Mill. Fellow cyclist Mike Will also was hit, suffering a broken rib and a punctured lung.
Under terms of the plea deal, Pilkington could have sentenced Mill to between 10 and 20 years. There was an audible gasp in the courtroom when Pilkington revealed that Mill now has 15 felony convictions on her record, including two in this case, in addition to eight suspensions of her driver’s license. She was out on parole at the time of the accident.
Andrew Phillips, a lawyer representing Ludwig and her husband, Dave, criticized the district attorney’s office for the deal it made.
“There is no justice, but it was good to hear that the court listened and took into account what the impact has been on Lisa and this community,” Phillips said. “I think the judge was thoughtful, and I think he did what he could with what he had. I am very disappointed in the DA’s office … with the way that they handled it. It just showed me again what we’re up against.”
The Ludwigs do not think the case should have been settled by a plea deal.
“The initial part of what the DA was speaking about, I just felt she spent a lot of time more focused on the defendant than Lisa,” Dave Ludwig said of remarks made by chief deputy district attorney, Tyra Forbes. “But I am happy with the verdict, given that we had to do the plea deal. I would have much rathered that we had gone to trial.”
Mill wept during a statement before the judge, saying she is “haunted every day” by her actions.
“My actions were grave, they were ugly, and I understand that they have lifelong consequences for so many people involved,” Mill said. “If I could talk directly to Lisa and Mike today, I would tell them I’m sorry. I wish I could switch places with either one of them.”
Will said he thinks about being hit by Mill every time he gets on his bike.
“I’ve just been grappling with it for the whole year,” Will said. “We just hope and think this was a freak accident. We will continue to be as careful as we can, and just hope for the best, hoping it doesn’t happen again.”
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