Parkway West Crash Victims Remembered

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- A candlelight vigil and a balloon release were held on Banksville Road, just below the Parkway West in memory of three Upper St. Clair teenagers.

For relatives and friends of Tara Schultz, Derrick Phillips and David Rizzo, Jr., who were killed in a car accident on the Parkway West exactly two years, it was a night to remember.

"I'll never get to see my son again in this life," David Rizzo, Sr., told the crowd while fighting back tears. "So, David, if you're there, I'll be there with you someday."

The memorial service came on the same day Ryan Safka, the driver of the car and lone survivor of the crash, was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in a nonjury trial.

"We never finished watching David grow," Rizzo said. "I really would have loved to see his kids."

Janet Phillips, Derrick's mother, said she hopes the conviction sends a message.

"If this can set an example that, you know, you're gonna be found guilty, you're gonna do jail time if and if you can't do the time then don't do the crime because you took three lives," she said.

Safka will be formally sentenced on May 15. He will stay home on electronic monitoring until that time.

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