Two men accused of racing in a school car crash that killed a teenage girl on a western Pennsylvania road last year have been ordered to stand trial.
According to Allegheny County Police, a Serra Catholic High School van was making a left turn in Dravosburg on Sept. 20 when it collided with a northbound sedan. Samantha Lee Kalkbrenner, 15, died at the scene, and three other students and two adults were also injured. Prosecutors allege two men who worked at the same nearby location were racing, and the lead car is believed to have been traveling at more than 100 miles per hour shortly before the accident.
Allegheny County District Judge Kate Lovelace on Friday charged William Soliday II, 43, of North Huntingdon with 15 charges, including murder, recklessly endangering another person, illegal racing and reckless driving. supported everything. He cried behind a courtroom partition before being taken back to prison and remains in custody without bail.
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Loveless dismissed the only felony charge against the other man, Andrew Vogt, 37, of Penn Hills, and a charge of failure to stop and render aid, but dismissed five misdemeanor charges of reckless endangerment. Other charges, including, were pending in court.
Two men accused of drag racing on a Pennsylvania highway in connection with a crash that killed a 15-year-old girl will go on trial. (Fox News)
During the 3 1/2-hour trial, prosecutors called three other drivers who said they had seen the men speeding, and prosecutors said they had recorded footage of the crash, including footage from their dashboard cameras. A video of the incident was also played.
Two lawyers denied claims that their clients were horse racing. Vogt’s lawyer argued that Vogt had no involvement in the race or the accident. “Just because two things happened at the same time doesn’t mean one caused the other,” said attorney David Schrager, who is representing Vogt.
Soliday’s attorney, Casey White, also suggested Vogt may have been pursuing her client, although there was no evidence of racial discrimination. He unsuccessfully argued for the murder charge to be dismissed because it required intentionality or malice.
“He hit the brakes. He tried to stop the accident,” White said. “This was an unfortunate, horrible and tragic accident.”
Deputy District Attorney Brian Catanzarite said intent was not required and that the speed the defendant was driving showed a “conscious disregard” for the “high risk of death or serious injury” facing others. insisted.
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“You don’t think you can drive that fast and not be dangerous to other people,” Catanzarite said.
