Columbia Borough Police and the Lancaster County District Attorney’s Office have filed and approved charges regarding a deadly crash in Columbia in November of 2020.

Frederick Kilheffer, 30 of the 200 block of South Fifth Street, has been charged with a single count of homicide by vehicle, a third-degree felony, and a summary offense of leaving lane of travel.

At approximately 6:19 a.m. on November 9, 2020, Columbia Borough Police were dispatched to the 100 block of Lancaster Avenue for the report of a vehicle collision with reported entrapment.

Officers arrived and found an unresponsive female in a green Chrysler van, which was in the eastbound lane facing the right curb.

Officers located a gray Honda Odyssey van, which was driven by Kilheffer, halfway in the eastbound lane facing southeast.

Both drivers were transported to Lancaster General Hospital for injuries sustained during the collision. The female was pronounced deceased; the Lancaster County Coroner’s Office determined the cause of death was multiple traumatic injuries due to the collision.

A witness driving behind the Chrysler told police the victim’s vehicle was in its proper lane of travel and “struck so hard that it came back towards him, causing him to put his vehicle in reverse,” according to an affidavit of probable cause.

A reconstruction of the collision revealed there were no roadway defects, weather conditions, or visibility issues to which would have contributed to the collision occurring.

Mechanical safety inspections completed on both the Honda Odyssey and Chrysler vans showed no mechanical defects that contributed to the cause of the collision.

Surveillance video obtained from a nearby business showed Kilheffer’s vehicle traveling westbound and entering the eastbound lane before striking the victim’s car nearly head on.

Kilheffer is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Columbia Borough Police Officer Holly Arndt filed charges, which were approved by Assistant District Attorney Caitlin Blazier.

MEDIA CONTACT: Sean McBryan, semcbryan@co.lancaster.pa.us; Twitter: @SeanMcBryanLanc.