A 77-year-old woman has been connected to the death of cyclist Ashlee Hopkins.
Ok Soon Lee, of Iowa City, has been charged with failure to maintain control, driving on the wrong side of a two-way road and speeding.
Hopkins died eight days after she was struck by a 2006 Toyota Sienna while participating in the Iowa City-area Farm Cycle biking event. She donated her liver to save a life and was remembered by friends and family as an “uplifting light” in their lives . She was 41.
Each of Lee’s charges carries the possibility of a 30-day jail sentence, and two charges have the potential for fines.
Iowa law allows the penalty for driving on the wrong side of the road to be escalated when a defendant causes the death of another person. She could face a larger fine and a suspension of her license.
According to police interviews, witnesses said Lee’s Toyota Sienna was allegedly westbound on Rohret Road when it “veered” to the left into the oncoming lane “without any signal or warning,” striking Hopkins, who was on her bike.