Second driver found guilty in fatal Dravosburg school van crash
One of the men charged in the Dravosburg crash that killed 15-year-old Serra Catholic student Samantha Kalkbrenner had his verdict handed down by a judge Thursday. Andrew Voigt may not have been the one to hit the school van that carried Kalkbrenner, but according to the judge, his actions contributed to the crash.
During the verdict, the judge said to the court if it was not for the other car involved, Voigt could have been the one to cause the crash in Dravosburg in September of 2023.
A non-jury trial let Judge Bruce Beemer hand down a guilty verdict on five charges of recklessly endangering another person, along with guilty on the charges of reckless driving, careless driving and speeding-related charges.
"Justice could never be complete or 100%, but at least he's not going to walk away, which was everybody's fear in the beginning," Samantha Kalkbrenner's father Carl said.
Voigt was found not guilty of racing and not stopping to render aid. Testimony from witnesses over the two-day trial showed a picture where Voigt drove in and out of traffic at excessive speeds along with William Soliday, who hit the van. Soliday has taken a plea deal. Both were on their way to the Bettis lab when the crash happened.
"Never drive faster than your guardian angel can fly," Carl Kalkbrenner said after the verdict.
Video showed Voigt's interview with investigators where he told them how he didn't call 911, went home, took an identifying sticker off his vehicle and then went to work in another car. Prosecutors accused him and Soliday of racing, but the defense was able to get that acquitted.
Voigt's defense team tried to paint a picture where some blame should fall on the school van driver, pushing on the evidence of medical reports that said cocaine was in his system at the time. During testimony, van driver Richard Maleski said he hadn't used the drug in several days leading up to the crash.
"My daughter is not coming back, but we will continue her legacy for good and her memory will be remembered," Samantha's mother Nenita said.
Throughout the verdict, Samantha's parents held hands. Voigt sat with little emotion showing on his face.
"How are you going to forgive someone if there is no remorse from any one of them?" Nenita Kalkbrenner said.
According to the family, sentencing has been set for Aug. 19.
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