Driver Who Hit And Killed Montserrat Board Prez Walks Free

HAMILTON, MA — The 66-year-old Texas driver who struck and killed Montserrat College Board of Trustees Chair and South Hamilton resident Kent Wosepka was released from the scene without charges or a citation, according to the Houston Chronicle.

Sgt. Erik Burse of the Texas Department of Public Safety says that his agency continues to investigate the Saturday collision, which killed one and badly injured two, and whether or not to file charges. Burse also said in a news release that the driver — 66-year-old Michael Weaver of Votaw, Tx. — stayed at the scene and cooperated, and was allowed to go home without charges.

On Saturday morning, Weaver crashed into three cyclists about three miles from his home about an hour northeast of Houston. Weaver, whom Burse said “failed to maintain [his] speed,” crashed his Ford Escape into three cyclists traveling in a from San Diego to St. Augustine, Fla. as part of an annual cross-country cycling tour. The cyclists were riding single-file along the curb, the husband of one of the victims told ABC13 News.

"It was a horrendous explosion of people and bicycle parts," said Willard Ferrell, the husband of 59-year-old victim Barbara Ferrell. Ferrell, of Santa Rosa, Calif., told ABC13 that his wife underwent surgery for several broken vertebrae and a collapsed lung.

Weaver was uninjured, according to the Salem News, but the three cyclists were transported to a nearby hospital in critical condition. On Sunday, Kent Wosepka, 51, of South Hamilton, was pronounced dead. Another South Hamilton resident, Elizabeth Anne O’Brien, 54, was described as being in “serious condition.” O’Brien is currently recovering in a Beaumont, Tx. hospital, according to ABC13. Wosepka's close friend told Patch that O'Brien, known as Betsy, was Wosepka's fiancée and "the love of his life."

Wosepka was a father of three, and a retired finance partner at Goldman Sachs and adjunct professor of finance at Boston College. He was also a prolific amateur painter active in the nonprofit world. In 2020, he was elected chair of the Montserrat College of Art Board of Trustees. Since joining the board in 2017, Wosepka chaired the investment committee to grow the school’s endowment, and took part in the Strategic Plan Committee, Montserrat College President Dr. Kurt Steinberg told Patch.

“We are heartbroken by the loss of our board chair and dear friend, Kent Wosepka," Steinberg said in a statement. “He loved serving as a trustee and was a constant presence at every important meeting and function. He will be deeply missed and very warmly remembered."

"All of us at Greenbelt are deeply saddened by the loss of Kent Wosepka, and our thoughts are with his family and loved ones," a spokesperson for the Essex County Greenbelt Association told Patch. "Out of respect for Kent's family, we have no additional comments at this time."

“Kent was a treasured friend and a wise and generous member of The Good Listening Project's board,” Frankie Abralind, executor director and co-founder of the Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit, commented on a Patch article. “We are missing him, and we're deeply grateful for the time we had with him in our lives.”

Wosepka described himself as an artist and father "almost always smudged with paint, bicycle grease or dirt."

"Kent was famous for his kindness, his love of life, and for the sparkle in his eyes," his friend told Patch.

This incident marks the second time in just over a month that Texas authorities released a vehicle driver in a cycling accident at the scene. On Sept. 25, a 17-year-old truck driver seriously injured three cyclists after trying to blow smoke in their faces. He was released from the scene after interviewing with investigators. As of Oct. 11, no charges have been filed, according to ABC13 News.

The handling of the case enraged many, including Waller County District Attorney, who wrote in a Facebook post: "This case was not handled appropriately by the investigating agency. PERIOD…Despite being encouraged by the Texas Department of Public Safety to treat the scene as a crime scene and to contact the D.A.'s Office for advice on how to proceed, the investigating agency chose not to do so."

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Montserrat Board President Killed In Biking Accident