CINCINNATI — An 80-year-old man is facing multiple charges months after he crashed into a Vespa driver, killing him, according to Hamilton County court documents.
The crash happened on May 1 on Erie Avenue in Hyde Park; Cincinnati police officers responded to the crash just before 10 a.m. that day.
Police said 26-year-old Noah Patsfall was riding a Vespa scooter east on Erie Avenue, when 80-year-old William Luken III, heading westbound, turned his Chevrolet Corvette left in front of Patsfall, hitting him.
According to police and court documents, Patsfall was ejected from the Vespa and crashed into the Corvette; Patsfall was wearing a helmet at the time of the crash, but he was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.
On July 9, police charged Luken with vehicular homicide, vehicular manslaughter and a traffic infraction. It's unclear why police did not charge Luken until over three months after the crash happened.
Patsfall, according to his obituary, was a 2018 graduate of the School for Creative and Performing Arts, where he majored in technical theater with a special interest in sound and set design. The obituary says Patsfall was finishing his associate degree in electrical engineering technology at Cincinnati State, and had recently begun a co-op at Electronauts in Cincinnati.
"Noah had endless curiosity about the world and the way things work," reads the obituary. "He was self-taught in many crafts; he built his own computers, taught himself to play the bass and never stopped tinkering and experimenting with new projects. He was a talented stargazer and proficient camper, with a deep love for the outdoors."
