UPDATE 9/10/2019: Brian Patrick Bowen, 35, of Lusby was issued a traffic citation for failing to drive an emergency vehicle safely ($50 fine) and driving left of roadway center in overtaking and passing when unsafe ($90 fine)
The traffic citations were issued on September 5, 2019, by Deputy A. Budd of the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office.
UPDATE 8/30/2019: The driver was Identified as Brian Patrick Bowen, 35, of Calvert County.
A spokeswoman from the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that Brian Patrick Bowen, was the driver of the Solomons Island Rescue Squad ambulance that was involved in the property damage accident in the video. She went on to say that the Sheriff’s Office is still investigating the incident and traffic citations are pending in the case.
SMNEWSNET.com interviewed multiple firetruck and ambulance drivers as well as officers from several volunteer departments and all of them said “lights and sirens are never to be used while crossing the Thomas Johnson or the Route 231 Benedict bridge”.
Bowen became a convicted felon after he was found guilty of two counts of Vehicular Manslaughter, Second Degree Assault, and Reckless Driving in 2007. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison, but it was suspended down to 18 months in jail.
A police investigation stated that on January 15, 2006, Bowen who was a volunteer firefighter at the time, was driving on Lowery Road at more than 80 mph. The speed limit on Lowery Road is 40 mph. Bowen’s was “hill-hopping”” at the time, according to Calvert County State’s Attorney Greg Wells — leaping over the small bumps in elevation that characterize Lowery Road.
At approximately 11:45 p.m., Bowen almost hopped his 1999 Ford Contour directly into another car. As he swerved to avoid the collision his car rolled over several times before it came to a rest on its roof. William Joshua Fabricante, 20, of St. Leonard, was pronounced dead at the scene, and Megan Elizabeth Jackson, 16, of Huntingtown, was taken to Calvert Memorial Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Amanda Moore Gaylon, 18, of Huntingtown was also taken to the hospital where she was treated and released.
UPDATE 8/27/2019 @ 10:45 a.m.: Jonathan Leonard Dalrymplehe, the Chief of the Solomons Volunteer Rescue and Fire Department, sent SMNEWSNET.COM the following statement about the incident.
On August 26 at approximate 4 PM one of our ambulances was involved in a property damage accident at the base of the Thomas Johnson bridge on St. Mary side. St Mary’s police department was Called and handle the accident. No one was injured in the accident. The driver of the ambulance has been Reprimanded and pulled from driving
8/27/2019: A video making its way around Facebook shows a Solomons Volunteer Rescue Squad Fire Department Ambulance crossing the center line and hitting a utility truck on the base of the Thomas Johnson Bridge in St. Mary’s County.
The video timestamp is Monday, August 26, 2019, at approximately 3:00 p.m., date and time, however,it is unknown if it is the correct time and date.
Calvert County was dispatched to assist St. Mary’s County at approximately 2:52 p.m., and 2:53 p.m., for medical calls in the Great Mills and California areas.
Updates will be provided when they become available.
