A Leesburg man has been charged with involuntary manslaughter in connection with a vehicle crash that killed a Lorton woman in April.
Steven Kowalik, 64, was traveling north on Route 123 (Ox Road) around 5 p.m. on April 23 when he lost consciousness, drove over a grass median and crashed head-on into a 2017 Chevrolet Cruze sedan near Davis Drive in Lorton, the Fairfax County Police Department says.
Officers responded to the crash at 5:14 p.m. The sedan driver, 33-year-old Lorton resident Michelle Davis, died at the scene, and Kowalik, who had been towing a fishing boat with a 2012 Ford F350 pickup truck, was transported to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
In an initial press release, the FCPD said alcohol “does not appear to be a factor in the crash,” but detectives were continuing to investigate on whether vehicle speeds might’ve played a role.
The department announced today (Wednesday) that it has charged Kowalik with involuntary manslaughter after he turned himself in at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center last Friday (July 11).
He was subsequently released on a $7,500 bond but must appear in Fairfax County General District Court for an arraignment at 10:30 a.m. tomorrow (Thursday). A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for Oct. 1 at 2 p.m.
The FCPD didn’t elaborate on what led to the manslaughter charge, stating that all available information was included in its press release.
In Virginia, involuntary manslaughter charges are limited to fatal crashes that result from someone driving under the influence.
