Drag Racing Caused Deadly Pittsburgh-Area School Bus Crash: Police

PITTSBURGH, PA — Two men have been arrested in connection with a deadly school van crash in Dravosburg in September.

A Volkswagen Jetta slammed into a school van on Sept. 20, killing Samantha Kalkbrenner, 15, and injuring three other students and the van driver. Immediately afterward, a Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk passing through the intersection where the collision occurred.

According to Allegheny County police, multiple witness statements were given indicating the Volkswagen and jeep were traveling at a high rate of speed and appeared to be racing as they crossed the Mansfield Bridge traveling towards the intersection of Richland Avenue and 3rd Street before the collision.

A search warrant was obtained for the Volkswagen and the event data recorder from inside the vehicle indicated speeds exceeding 100 mph in the seconds leading up to the collision. At the point of impact with the school van, the Volkswagen was traveling 90 mph, police said.

The Volkswagen driver, William Soliday II, faces charges including third-degree murder, involuntary manslaughter, and homicide by vehicle. The jeep driver, Andrew Voight, 37, was charged with one felony count of accidents involving death/personal injury along with multiple misdemeanors.

The two men worked at a nearby business, police said.