Yakov Rakhshtut: DIA bus driver criminally charged in death of Katherine McKinley

After Katherine McKinley, 57, was struck and killed by a bus at Denver International Airport last month, driver Yakov Rakhshtut did not go through the booking process. Rather, he was simply given a summons for the incident; it's on view below. But after looking at the facts of the case,...

By Michael Roberts

November 8, 2012

[
        {
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size",
          "component": "12017618",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "17242653",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18838239",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17261320",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18838239",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - Leaderboard Tower - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17261321",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        }
      ]

After Katherine McKinley, 57, was struck and killed by a bus at Denver International Airport last month, driver Yakov Rakhshtut did not go through the booking process. Rather, he was simply given a summons for the incident; it's on view below. But after looking at the facts of the case, the Denver District Attorney's Office has formally charged Rakhshtut with careless driving resulting in death.

According to the DA's office, Rakhshtut, who's 59, was behind the wheel of a rental car shuttle -- one belonging to Avis, the summons notes -- at 11:45 a.m. on October 13 when the vehicle struck McKinley, who was striding toward the terminal in a crosswalk.

McKinley failed to respond to treatment after being struck and was later pronounced dead. The Denver coroner's office describes the cause as "craniocerebral injuries due to the bus striking a pedestrian."

No word at this point about what convinced the district attorney's office to come down with criminal charges. But as noted on the summons, which features a mark near the box "careless driving involving death," Rakhshtut has an 8 a.m. November 20 court appearance scheduled for arraignment.

Here's the summons.

Yakov Rakhshtut Careless Death Summons

KEEP WESTWORD FREE... Since we started Westword, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Denver, and we'd like to keep it that way. Your membership allows us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls. You can support us by joining as a member for as little as $1.

Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

Contact: Michael Roberts

Follow:

Facebook: 111180895657427

Twitter: @mikerobertscolo