The Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office has announced charges against two men in connection with the late-August fatal crash in Lower Providence that claimed the life of 31-year-old Kellie Adams, of Lansdale.
Everett Clayton, 56, of Charleston, W. Va., and Patrick Doran, 23, of Gaithersburg, Md., have both been charged with homicide by vehicle in connection with the Aug. 25 crash. Clayton, who drove the truck, faces additional charges of careless driving/unintentional death, reckless driving, driving at unsafe speed and related offenses. Doran, who owned the truck, faces additional charges of permitting violation of title, operating vehicle without required financial responsibility, operating vehicle without valid inspection, and multiple other offenses.
Adams, who was pregnant at the time of the crash, was the daughter of longtime Lansdale Borough Police Sergeant and former Towamencin Fire Chief Dean Miller. Neither she, nor her unborn baby, Emersyn Grace Adams, survived the crash.
First responders were dispatched to the 500 block of South Park Avenue at 3 p.m. on Aug. 25 for a report of a two-vehicle crash. Arriving police found a head-on crash had occurred between a 2021 Chevy Tahoe, driven by Adams, and a 2003 Ford F650 XLT Super Duty dump truck, driven by Clayton. Adams was pronounced dead at the scene, and her unborn baby was later delivered stillborn, according to the district attorney’s office.
Clayton, who was uninjured, allegedly confessed he had been drinking beers, and blood testing later showed he had a blood-alcohol content of .076% — just under the legal limit of .08%, investigators said.
According to the criminal complaint, crash scene investigators determined Clayton was traveling in excess of the speed limit as he approached a curve in the road, causing him to lose control and cross over the double-yellow lines. The dump truck collided with the Tahoe with such force that the Tahoe lost all forward momentum and the dump-body portion of the truck detached and fell off, police said.
Investigators said Doran had purchased the vehicle on July 6 under a fake name and never had the vehicle registered, inspected, or insured as required by state law. Additionally, the truck was being operated by “Stellar Paving and Drainage” with a listed address as 1960 Butler Pike in Conshohocken, which actually turned out to be a PO Box at a UPS store that was also rented by Doran under the same fake name, according to charging documents.
“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. 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,” said Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele. “The deaths of this beloved young mother and her baby have caused so much heartache for the family and the community. We are saddened by their loss and have charged as the law has allowed.”
Investigators said arrest warrants have been issued for Clayton and Doran, and both men will be extradited to Montgomery County once they’re arrested.
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using court records and the affidavit of probable cause. This story was updated to reflect the child's current custody status.
See also:
Man Arrested After Repeatedly Pointing Gun at Driver During Road Rage Incident, Police Say
Home Health Aide Charged with Identity Theft, Financial Exploitation of Care Dependent Person
Man Charged with Felony Retail Theft After Stealing $5,400 in Merch from Home Depot, Police Say
Man Accused of Gunpoint Robbery of Liberty Gas Station on Harleysville Pike
