Prison Sentence For Montco Man Who Crashed, Killing Turnpike Worker
By Brad Segall
NORRISTOWN, Pa. (CBS) -- A West Conshohocken man has been ordered to serve time behind bars in Montgomery County in connection with a crash on the Pennsylvania Turnpike nearly a year ago that claimed the life of a turnpike worker.
Judge Steven O'Neill told defendant Benjamin Kane that he will forever carry the weight of taking another another man's life, then sentenced the 35-year-old man to 10-23 months in prison followed by three years' probation.
Kane was driving his moving van through a work zone when he hit a turnpike vehicle, which in turn pinned 66-year-old Michael San Felice against a guardrail (see previous story).
Montgomery County prosecutor Jesse King calls this an emotional case for both sides.
"You're dealing with a victim that didn't do anything wrong and a defendant that had absolutely no real criminal intent to go out there and hurt anybody on that morning," King tells KYW Newsradio.
Kane was driving with a suspended license and pleaded guilty to a felony charge of accident involving death while not properly licensed (see related story).
King, the prosecutor, says neither alcohol, drugs, nor speed were not factors in the crash, but what if anything may have distracted Kane may never be known.
Defense attorney Steven Fairlie called it tragic for everyone involved.
