PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Charges have been upgraded against a West Virginia driver in connection to a Montgomery County car crash that killed a pregnant woman and her unborn child.
Everett Clayton, 56, of Charleston, West Virginia, now faces third-degree murder charges. Authorities say he was driving a dump truck on Aug. 25 when he hit 31-year-old Kellie Adams’ Chevy Tahoe head-on in Lower Providence.
She was pronounced dead at the scene. Her baby was later delivered stillborn.
Authorities say Clayton admitted he had been drinking before the crash. His blood-alcohol level was .076, just under the legal limit of .08.
Investigators discovered new evidence from Clayton’s phone. An updated criminal complaint says Clayton had his phone on his dashboard and was recording his drive for 25 minutes leading up to the crash.
In that video, the complaint alleges, there were numerous near-misses with other vehicles, and Clayton continuously operated the vehicle in a reckless manner. Witnesses also reported him driving aggressively.
A witness to the crash told police he didn’t recall seeing brake lights on the truck as it fishtailed before it hit Adams' car. The impact separated the dump body portion of the truck from the chassis.
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Clayton did not need a CDL to drive the 2003 Ford F-650 XLT SuperDuty dump truck he was driving for Stellar Paving and Drainage.
The complaint also says Clayton told police he was unfamiliar with the road he was on, only that it had “a lot of curves.” He said he was told to keep up with a coworker in a pickup truck in front of him but was having trouble staying close.
Clayton is held on $500,000 cash bail. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for Jan. 17.
Adams is survived by her husband, an Upper Providence Township firefighter, and two children.