Man gets probation, house arrest for wreck that killed Norwin student

The North Huntingdon man charged with causing a car crash in 2017 that killed a Norwin High School senior will serve five years on probation and 18 months of house arrest.

Victor Playso Jr., 33, pleaded guilty Wednesday to vehicular homicide in connection with the crash on Route 993 in the township after his car sped out of control and down an embankment before it landed on its roof about 75 feet off the roadway. Playso’s front-seat passenger, 18-year-old Logan Dyson, died from injuries suffered in the crash.

“I am really sorry. Not a day goes by that I am not completely messed up by it,” Playso told Dyson’s family members in court. “I shouldn’t have been driving that way. I don’t know why I did it. It was really dumb.”

Dyson’s family did not speak during the guilty plea and sentencing hearing. Through civil attorney Ned Nakles, they declined to comment about the case. Nakles said the family intends to file a lawsuit in connection with the crash.

Prosecutors contend Playso was speeding on Dec. 8, 2017, when he lost control of his car as it traveled between 70 and 75 mph. The road had a posted speed limit of 45 mph, according to court records.

Common Pleas Judge Meagan Bilik- DeFazio imposed the terms of a plea bargain despite acknowledgment from Assistant District Attorney Allen Powanda that Dyson’s family wanted jail time for Playso.

“Clearly, this was unintentional and not anticipated, but clearly Mr. Playso was reckless,” Powanda said.

Playso has no prior criminal record, and his sentence was within standard guidelines, the judge said.

Police said Playso and Dyson had been en route back to North Huntingdon after working together at a Monroeville restaurant. They stopped at a bar, where they drank a beer and a shot of whiskey, according to police.

Playso was not charged with drunken driving. Powanda said a breath test performed after the crash found Playso had a blood alcohol level of 0.03 percent. Motorists in Pennsylvania are considered intoxicated with a BAC of 0.08 percent or more.