LITITZ, Pa. — A Lebanon County man charged with homicide by vehicle while DUI and other charges relating to a deadly crash in Lancaster County will face trail after waiving his preliminary hearing last week, prosecutors said Wednesday.
Gavin Kline, 20, of Palmyra, is accused of causing a multi-vehicle crash on Route 322 in Penn Township in August 2023, according to the Lancaster County District Attorney's Office.
He is also charged with aggravated assault by vehicle while DUI, homicide by vehicle, aggravated assault by vehicle, two counts of recklessly endangering another person, three counts of DUI and eight summary driving offenses, prosecutors said.
According to an investigation by Northern Lancaster County Regional Police, the crash occurred at 2:25 p.m. on August 22, 2023. Officers were dispatched to a reported three-vehicle crash with numerous injuries on Route 322.
Arriving officers found the passenger in Kline's vehicle, Bethany Welch, deceased in the front seat. Kline and another driver were transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
A subsequent blood draw from Kline showed antidepressants and marijuana in his system, prosecutors said.
Witnesses told investigators that Kline's vehicle attempted to illegally pass another vehicle and collided head-on with a vehicle traveling in the opposite direction.
The surviving victim suffered broken ribs, a fractured vertebra and multiple fractures in his foot and ankle, according to prosecutors.
Kline is scheduled to be arraigned April 26.
