Cape Coral man pleads no contest in deadly 2016 crash

Published: Updated:

SOUTH FORT MYERS, Fla. A 75-year-old man was fined $2,000 after pleading no contest Thursday afternoon in connection with a fatal 2016 crash.

Ryan Wendler, 20, was killed in a crash Sept. 20, 2016 on Michael G. Rippe Parkway in south Fort Myers.

Donald Kottkamp, 75, of Cape Coral, was first issued a traffic citation after a crash on Sept. 20, 2016 near the intersection of Briarcliff Road killed FGCU student Ryan Wendler, 20, of Gainesville, authorities said.

Kottkamp, who was charged with careless driving and a seat belt violation, also had his driver’s license was suspended for six months.

He was driving a dump truck, carrying steel for Fort Myers-based Allied Recycling, and rear-ended the Nissan Wendler was driving, pushing it into nearby bushes, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

It’s not the first time Kottkamp has been in a deadly wreck. He reached a settlement in a lawsuit stemming from his involvement in a fatal 2001 crash in Pennsylvania.

Copyright ©2024 Fort Myers Broadcasting. All rights reserved.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without prior written consent.