PITTSBURGH—A Pittsburgh-area man will spend 2 1/2 to 6 years in state prison for a crash that killed three of his friends on Interstate 376.

Allegheny County Judge Jeffrey Manning sentenced 21-year-old Ryan Safka, of Upper St. Clair, on Tuesday. He had previously convicted Safka of 11 charges, including involuntary manslaughter and homicide by vehicle stemming from the accident on Feb. 21, 2010.

The judge relied on the car's electronic data recorder which showed Safka's car was traveling 106 mph five seconds before the air bags deployed.

The crash killed 20-year-old Derek Phillips, of Bethel Park, 20-year-old David Rizzo Jr. and 18-year-old Tara Schulz, both of Upper St. Clair, after the car went airborne over an embankment.

Safka's attorneys argued the speed was overestimated because the data recorder clocked the tires spinning freely in the air, not on the pavement.