A 22-year-old woman has been charged with misdemeanor motor vehicle homicide in connection with a December crash that took the life of a man from rural Murray, Nebraska.
Ashley Baumgart, a Plattsmouth resident, is accused of causing the death of Leonard Kaffenberger, 63, following a Dec. 17 crash on U.S. Highway 75 near Beaver Lake. The filing in Cass County Court said Baumgart unintentionally caused the fatality due to “careless driving” or “following too closely.”
Investigators from the Cass County Sheriff’s Office said Kaffenberger was trying to turn left from Highway 75 into a private drive about 2 p.m. when his 1992 Chevy pickup truck was struck from behind by a 2015 Ford Fusion driven by Baumgart. The impact caused Kaffenberger’s pickup to collide with a 2015 Dodge Durango driven by Mariah Husen, 26, of Nebraska City.
Kaffenberger was taken by medical helicopter to the Nebraska Medical Center in critical condition. He died December 28. Husen and a 10-month-old child were taken to the Nebraska Medical Center by ambulance with minor injuries. Baumgart was taken to Nebraska Medicine-Bellevue, also with minor injuries.
Baumgart was ordered to appear in Cass County Court on March 12. If convicted, she faces up to one year in jail.
