Man convicted in I-70 crash that injured Good Samaritans on Belle Vernon-Speers Bridge

A Washington County man was convicted Friday of aggravated assault by vehicle and related charges in connection with a crash on the Belle Vernon-Speers Bridge that seriously injured two Good Samaritans.

Brian D. Keegan, 20, of California, will face sentencing in about 30 days after Judge Christopher Feliciani found him guilty during a nonjury trial.

Keegan testified that he must have fallen asleep or passed out while traveling eastbound on Interstate 70 over the Monongahela River at the Washington and Westmoreland border into Rostraver at 6:40 a.m. on Feb. 6, 2021. He was headed to work in New Stanton having spent the night at a friend’s home where he said he got about seven hours of sleep after having a couple beers while the group played video games.

“I wasn’t tired or hungover,” he said. “It was the weirdest thing, I don’t know what happened.”

State police said Keegan’s blood-alcohol content was zero.

Trooper Jason Hatalasky testified that Keegan was driving a Toyota Camry at least 75.8 mph in a 45 mph zone and did not brake in the 4.3 seconds before the crash. The vehicle’s crash data recorder was not capable of recording a speed over 75.8 mph, he said, so Keegan could have been driving faster.

Michael Natale, who was headed to work as a West Newton police officer, testified that he saw a disabled minivan in the left lane of the highway and stopped to help David Quairiere, who had hit a concrete jersey barrier. A second motorist, Anthony Kurtz, pulled over and began directing traffic when he saw a car barreling towards them.

“I turn and look and there’s a car coming directly at me … and I obviously panic, I see that I’m about to get seriously messed up,” Natale testified.

The Toyota Camry caused a chain reaction crash that pinned Kurtz between his SUV and a jersey barrier and threw Natale. Both were hospitalized and still deal with the effects of their injuries. Natale had a skull fracture and brain injuries. Kurtz now uses a cane to walk after reconstructive surgery to repair his fractured pelvis.

He remembers the excruciating pain of being trapped. Other motorists stopped to help free him while first responders were on their way. The motorist involved in the original crash was not hurt.

“There was an officer lying on the ground, there was another man and then there was me,” Kurtz testified. “I will never forget this day for the rest of my life. I have never felt so helpless. I could not move my lower body.”

Defense attorney James Crosby argued that the evidence showed Keegan must have passed out or fell asleep because he didn’t brake before the crash. That means he couldn’t consciously disregard the safety of others. Crosby said.

Assistant District Attorney Adam Barr argued that Keegan had a clear line of sight to the stopped vehicles as he merged onto the highway just before the bridge.

“The evidence does show the defendant acted in a reckless manner,” he said.

Feliciani pointed to a lack of medical evidence to prove if Keegan passed out in rendering his verdict and found that his testimony was not credible. He suggested that Keegan may have been in a hurry to get to work on time.

“The testimony from Mr. Natale and Mr. Kurtz has been pretty devastating,” Feliciani said. “You’re going to have a felony conviction on your record the rest of your life.”

The judge indicated he was not planning to sentence the defendant, who has no prior record, to a state prison term.

“I don’t want you to leave here thinking your life is over at this point because it’s not,” he said.

Renatta Signorini is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Renatta at 724-837-5374, rsignorini@triblive.com or via Twitter .