This week, 4th Judicial District Judge Samuel Evig sentenced a driver found at fault in a fatal crash to about four years in prison.

Last March, a Colorado Springs man, Shane Golden, 31, who was riding a motorcycle, died in the crash at North Academy Boulevard and Rebecca Lane. 

During a jury trial in December, David Medina was found guilty of leaving the scene of a fatal crash, failure to yield the right of way and lesser charges related to driving while impaired. He was acquitted of vehicular homicide, court documents said. Medina was driving a truck.

Golden’s wife, Parker Seibold, told the court during a sentencing hearing this week that after she met him in 2019, he helped her overcome her anxiety and live life more fully. Originally from Ohio, Golden loved travel and adventure and opened their home to many of their friends. He was also an avid motorcyclist and worked for what is now Sun Powersports Colorado Springs.

“He taught me not to take life so seriously, to find joy, and to keep moving forward on the hardest days,” Seibold said, in the statement she read to the judge and shared with The Gazette.  

Golden had a strong moral compass and believed in taking accountability for his mistakes, she said, and she called on the judge to hold Medina accountable, while allowing for the possibility of rehabilitation and a future where he will not repeat his mistakes. She pointed out Medina had a prior DUI and chose to flee the scene of the crash. 

“In that moment, Mr. Medina failed to show the most basic level of human compassion,” she said. 

Following the sentencing, Seibold said, she said she felt relieved the legal process was over. 

“I walked out of that courtroom and I could just breathe a little easier,” she said. Seibold was formerly a photographer for The Gazette.  

In memory of Golden, Sun Powersports’ ownership named the building after him and hosted a memorial ride for him that drew about 120 people. 

Naming the building after Golden was a fitting memorial for a man who helped shape the culture of the business, where customers could come in have a cup of coffee and talk motorcycles, said Kamron Shaw-Dennis, a close friend of Golden. When customers decided to buy a motorcycle, it was more relational and less transactional. 

“He was always like a positive light,” he said. 

The shop now keeps stickers with Golden’s catchphrase: “Keep the dirty side down” — a reference to riding safely, and Shaw-Dennis puts them up in his friend’s memory.