Guilty Plea In 2012 Pennsylvania Turnpike Crash That Killed Maintenance Worker
By Brad Segall
NORRISTOWN, Pa. (CBS) -- A Montgomery County, Pa. man today admitted in court he was driving with a suspended license when he caused a deadly crash on the Pennsylvania Turnpike in Plymouth Meeting last October.
Benjamin Kane pleaded guilty today to a felony charge of causing an accident involving death or personal injury while not properly licensed.
The 35-year-old West Conshohocken man was driving a moving and storage van when his vehicle veered onto the shoulder of the highway, striking a maintenance vehicle. Turnpike worker Michael SanFelice, 66, was pinned against a guardrail and died from multiple injuries (see related story).
"To us it does look like it was a tragic accident, but it's also extremely serious that this individual chose to drive with a suspended license," said prosecutor Jesse King after the guilty plea. "That rule is in place to prevent things like this from happening."
King says neither alcohol, drugs, nor speed were a factor in the crash, and they couldn't prove that Kane was using his cell phone at the time.
Kane faces a maximum of seven years behind bars and King says he will be asking for jail time.
