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Truck Driver Sentence for Horrific VA Crash

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Last Updated: Aug 10, 2026

Read Time: 3 mins

Auto Accident Lawyer

A food truck driver has been sentenced to 11.5 years in prison for his role in a Virginia crash that took the life of a local woman, reports NBC Washington.

On September 8, 2017, Tony Dane was driving a school bus that had been converted under the banner of his business, Dane’s Great American Hamburger, in Leesburg, Virginia. At close to 5:00 pm, Dane ran a stop sign and hit an Audi station wagon that was being driven by 39-year-old Erin Kaplan. She was killed, and her passengers – her mother, her teenage son and her two daughters – were also injured in the accident.

According to first responders, the family’s Audi was trapped underneath the ten-ton school bus. A wrecker had to be brought in to get the bus off of the car. It took emergency workers three hours to free the family from the twisted frame of their automobile, but unfortunately, Erin Kaplan was pronounced dead at the accident site. Given the devastating scene, Kaplan’s family members were lucky to survive.

Dane was injured in the crash, spending close to two months in the hospital before being transferred to a rehab facility. His grandmother and sisters, who were in his truck at the time of accident, also had brief stays in the hospital with crash-related injuries.

The 11.5-year sentence was the jury’s recommendation, and the judge rejected Dane’s request for leniency in the sentencing. According to the prosecution, the food truck operator drove with a complete disregard for public safety, with no insurance, no inspection and faulty brakes at the time of the accident. The judge apparently agreed and went with the maximum sentences.

The food business the truck belonged to was started by Dane and based in Winchester, Virginia. According to its website, Dane bought the bus and converted it into a food truck so he was able to travel with his family. Since the accident, the website has been taken down.

The tragic accident and the death of Kaplan shocked the local community, which raised thousands of dollars to help the family cover the medical costs related to the crash. The teenage victim of the accident, Ben Kaplan, added that he was very grateful for all the support the family has received.

After the incident, the state’s transportation department made improvements for safety at the intersection where the crash occurred, and a local county sheriff’s office stepped up enforcement in the area.

Running a stop sign may seem like an innocent mistake, but as this devastating crash shows, people can be seriously injured or lose their lives when a driver doesn’t stop at the designated sign or light. Reckless driving endangers everyone else on the road, and the actions of just one person can cause injuries to countless others.

If you or someone you care about has been hurt in an accident with a careless or reckless driver, contact an auto accident lawyer Denver, CO trusts about your rights and your case today. You may be entitled to receive compensation for your suffering, pain and losses stemming from your accident.

Thank you to our friends and contributors at Richard J. Banta, P.C. for their insight into truck accident claims.

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Truck Driver Sentence for Horrific VA Crash

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