Dump Truck Owner Wanted In Crash That Killed PA Woman, Unborn Child Arrested In Fairfax

FAIRFAX, VA — A 23-year-old Maryland man was arrested on Wednesday in connection with a crash that killed a Pennsylvania woman and her unborn child last August, according to a post on the Twitter account of the U.S. Marshals Service in Fairfax County.

Patrick Doran of Gaithersburg, who faces multiple charges, including homicide by vehicle, is the owner of the dump truck involved in a two-vehicle collision that occurred on Aug. 25, 2022 in Lower Providence Township, Pennsylvania, according to a County of Montgomery (Penn.) Police District Attorney release.

Everett Clayton of Charleston, West Virginia, was driving Doran's 2003 Ford F650 XLT Super Duty dump truck around 3 p.m. in the 300 block of South Park Avenue when it crashed head-on into a 2021 Chevrolet Tahoe driven by Kellie Adams, according to the release.

The 31-year-old Lansdale, Pennsylvania, woman was pronounced dead at the scene and her unborn baby, Emersyn Grace Adams, was later stillborn, according to the release.

Clayton, who was uninjured, told police that he had been drinking Sly Fox IPA beers at the time of the crash. But a blood test revealed his blood alcohol content was .076, which was just under the legal limit.

A police crash reconstruction unit determined Clayton had been driving in excess of the posted speed limit of 25 mph, when he attempted to navigate a curve in the road, according to the district attorney's office. Clayton used rapid steering movements to try and stay within his lane, but the dump truck crossed the double yellow lines and slammed into the Chevy Tahoe.

Investigators said Doran had used a fake name and a false New York State drivers license when he purchased the dump truck in July 2022, according to the district attorney's office. In addition to being uninsured, the truck had not been titled nor inspected as required by state law. It also was driven without following proper federal laws for a vehicle of its size.

“This dump truck was being operated in an unsafe manner by the driver Everett Clayton, which caused the dump truck to cross the center line and crash head on to the Chevrolet Tahoe, killing Kellie Adams and her baby Emersyn," District Attorney Kevin R. Steele said, in a release. "Beyond the driver’s direct action that caused the homicide, the owner allowed this truck to be on the road even though he knew it didn’t even meet basic requirements for legal operation. The dump truck should never have been on the road, where it became a lethal weapon."

On Oct. 28, 2022, Steele's office filed arrest warrants for both Clayton and Doran.

Clayton, who is being held on a $500,000 bond, was charged with homicide by vehicle, careless driving/unintentional death, reckless driving, driving at an unsafe speed, and multiple other offenses involving the condition and the unregistered nature of the dump truck.

The charges against Doran include homicide by vehicle, permitting violation of title, operating vehicle without required financial responsibility, operating vehicle without valid inspection and multiple other offenses involving the condition and unregistered nature of the dump truck.

"The deaths of this beloved young mother and her baby have caused so much heartache for the family and the community," Steele said. "We are saddened by their loss and have charged as the law has allowed.”

Patrick Doran was arrested yesterday by members of the U.S. Marshals Service in Fairfax, Virginia. Lower Providence Police Dept. sought Doran in relation to an August 2022 homicide by vehicle. The crash killed a woman and her unborn child. Doran was the second suspect arrested. pic.twitter.com/EmDpy6Iyr9
— USMS Philadelphia (@USMS_Philly) February 8, 2023