There will be jail time, a fine and probation for the Colorado man whose car struck Michelle Mazzei, a 34-year-old fourth-grade teacher at Oak Knoll School, while she was cycling on Woodside Road on the morning of Oct. 2, 2005. She died that day in the emergency room at Stanford Hospital.
Theodore Charles Thornbrough, 68 at the time of the accident, pleaded “no contest” in August and was sentenced Oct. 10 to 90 days in jail, three years probation, two years’ suspended driver’s license and a $1,600 fine that includes court costs, said Joshua Stauffer, deputy district attorney for San Mateo County.
He will also reimburse Ms. Mazzei’s relatives for funeral costs and pay a $50 monthly fee for the first two years of his probation, Mr. Stauffer said.
Mr. Thornbrough must report to jail Dec. 2, either at the county jail in Redwood City or, with the agreement of the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office, in his home county in Colorado, Mr. Stauffer said.
Ms. Mazzei was an experienced cyclist and triathlete. Her sudden death deeply affected the communities at Oak Knoll School and the Menlo Park City School District.
About 500 people — children, teachers, parents, friends and community members — took part Sept. 17 in Menlo Park in the first Family Bike Ride honoring Michelle Mazzei.
The event, organized by teachers and sponsored by Oak Knoll School where Ms. Mazzei taught since 1996, raised $11,000 for the Michelle Mazzei Fund for Environmental Education. The fund was established by friends and family at the Palo Alto-based Environmental Volunteers, where Ms. Mazzei participated in a teacher certificate program to incorporate environmental education in her classroom.
