Fatal Food Truck Crash In Leesburg Nets Driver 12 Years In Prison

LEESBURG, VA—The man convicted in March of involuntary manslaughter in the September 2017 crash that killed a Leesburg mother of three was sentenced to nearly 12 years in prison Thursday by Loudoun County Circuit Court judge Benjamin Kendrick. Tony Dane also was ordered to pay a fine of $3,500.

Dane was driving an aging converted food truck with faulty brakes when he ran a stop sign on Watson Road and hit Erin Kaplan's Audi station wagon on Evergreen Mills Road. Her three kids suffered broken limbs, and the oldest, 17-year-old Benjamin Kaplan, was hospitalized for several months with a severe leg injury.

According to WTOP, the attorney for Erin's husband, Faran Kaplan, told reporters the family was happy the judge stuck with what the jury had recommended. "There’s an understanding from this jury and this judge that conscious, repetitive reckless decisions carries severe consequences," he said.

Dane had acknowledged he knew the brakes were in poor shape, and he had tried to fix them on his own even though had no experience working on vehicles.

During the trial, the Washington Post reported that Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Eric Shamis told the jury that the 20-year-old food truck was a "ticking time bomb."

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