Woman charged with negligent homicide for killing child on bike

Her Yang Thao was charged Friday with criminally negligent homicide for hitting and killing a four-year-old girl who was riding her bicycle in Anchorage in May. The 47-year-old woman is accused of talking on her cell phone and speeding when she ran over the girl who was riding with her sisters in the Dimond Estates Mobile Home Park. Thao stopped her car after the accident and cooperated with the police. Police did not find any evidence of intoxication. If found guilty, Thao could face up to four years in jail.
On Thursday, a driver who struck and killed another cyclist while allegedly driving under the influence was charged with manslaughter. Alexandra Anne Ellis struck and killed Jeffery Dusenbury on July 19.
Under Alaska law, manslaughter is a class A felony and has harsher punishments than criminally negligent homicide, which is a class B felony.
Vehicle drivers have killed three people on bicycles in Anchorage this year.

Anne Hillman is the healthy communities editor at Alaska Public Media and a host of Hometown, Alaska. Reach her at ahillman@alaskapublic.org. Read more about Anne here.

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