Driver accused of using phone apps before fatal crosswalk crash, CO officials say

Miami Herald

18-07-2025

A 59-year-old woman crossing the street in a marked crosswalk died after being hit by an SUV and sent more than 10 feet in the air, Colorado prosecutors said.
Now, Mary Landry, 64, has pleaded guilty to careless driving resulting in death and been sentenced to 300 hours of community service, the Boulder County District Attorney's Office said in a July 15 news release.
Attorney information for Landry was not immediately available.
'This is a heartbreaking case, and it is a reminder of how fast lives can be changed,' District Attorney Michael Dougherty said in the release. 'Our hearts go out to Judy Florian's family. We are grateful to them for their strength and courage throughout this difficult process.'
As Florian, 59, crossed the street at a Louisville intersection in a crosswalk 'after having activated the flashing crosswalk lights,' Landry 'came over the hill' in her SUV on July 8, 2024, prosecutors said in a December news release announcing charges against the driver.
Landry, however, 'did not see Ms. Florian' and hit her, sending her 12 to 15 feet in the air, according to prosecutors.
At the time of the crash, multiple people called 911, including Landry, prosecutors said.
When Louisville police officers arrived, prosecutors said, Florian had no pulse and was lying in front of the SUV without shoes.
Officers 'found one of her shoes in a nearby storm gutter,' prosecutors said.
She was pronounced dead on scene, according to prosecutors.
Evidence from Landry's cellphone showed that near the time of the crash, 'both her messaging app and the Pandora radio app were opened,' prosecutors said.
After police detectives completed their investigation, detectives worked with the district attorney's office to determine what, if any, charges should be filed, prosecutors said.
Whether a vehicular fatality is 'the result of an accident, careless driving, reckless driving or driving under the influence, or intentional conduct' is determined by the driver's actions, prosecutors said.
In November, prosecutors said, Landry was charged with careless driving resulting in death and misuse of a wireless telephone while driving resulting in death.
In addition to community service, prosecutors said Landry is required to take a distracted driving course, pay a fine and perform 'restorative justice at the discretion of the parties.'
'Nothing will bring Judy Florian back, but we hope this plea and sentence brings some closure to them,' Dougherty said in the release. 'Even though the defendant was sober and driving the speed limit, this case demonstrates the tragic consequences of distracted driving. We worked closely with the victim's family throughout this process.'
Florian's husband of 25 years said his wife's death turned his and his daughter's lives upside down, according to a July 2024 Facebook post.
'The other day there was a spider on some flowers in our house. I took the flowers outside and managed to flick the spider into our yard,' he wrote. 'I kinda feel like that spider. My life has been flung from here to there and I can't make sense of what happened.'
Florian, who was raised in Wheaton, Illinois, was a 'true life-long learner,' her obituary says.
'She earned a BS in mathematics from the University of Chicago, an MA in experimental psychology from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, a PhD in cognitive psychology from the University of Michigan, and an MSW from the Metropolitan State University of Denver,' according to her obituary.
She held a number of roles, including 'education researcher, a middle and high school teacher, a paraeducator, a certified nursing assistant, a hospice worker, and a social worker in a senior living community,' her obituary says.
But, her obituary says, 'the role she cherished the most was being a mother.'
Louisville is about a 20-mile drive northwest from Denver.