|
Bowen |
By CATHY DYSON
The horrific accident in which Virginia State Police Trooper Adam Bowen was killed wasn't the first time he wrecked a patrol car.
While on duty, Bowen had three wrecks in a nine-month period from December 2008 through September 2009, according to police records.
After the third crash, which totaled his cruiser, he had to complete a driver retraining course through the Virginia State Police Academy.
The 28-year-old trooper, who grew up in Montross, died June 24 while responding to a call. He was on his way to help a state police agent with the narcotics task force.
Bowen was on State Route 3 in King George County, heading west toward Fredericksburg. When he entered the intersection of Route 3 and Madison Drive, his cruiser was struck by a car turning into the First Lady's Centre shopping area, across from Presidential Lakes subdivision.
Bowen's cruiser ricocheted into a traffic-light pole and was cut in half. The front section crashed into three cars in the shopping center parking lot, and the back half was wrapped around the pole.
Bowen died at the scene.
After the crash, questions surfaced about Bowen's speed. State police investigators haven't finished their report and probably won't until mid-July, Sgt. Thomas Molnar said this week.
He provided Bowen's driving records at the request of The Free Lance-Star. In the media release, Molnar said state police recognize that troopers operate their cruisers in a different manner than private vehicles.
But because of their experience and training, "they are held to a higher standard" than private citizens.
According to the police records, all three wrecks happened while Bowen was on duty on King George County roads. The trooper covered more than 117,000 miles during his three-year career, Molnar said.
Bowen was assigned to the rural county in July 2008 after graduating from the academy.
His first accident happened six months later.
On Dec. 26, 2008, Bowen was patrolling in King George when he struck a deer. He was not injured, and the damage to his vehicle was $1,127.
Seven months later on July 15, 2009, the trooper was patrolling U.S. 301 when he spotted "a violator" traveling in the opposite direction, Molnar said. As Bowen made a U-turn in the designated crossover, he struck the rear of a trailer being pulled by a vehicle.
Damage was minor, there were no injuries, and Bowen was traveling under the posted speed limit, Molnar said.
The third accident happened on Sept. 17, 2009. Bowen was responding to a call for assistance from the King George County Sheriff's Office involving a man who reportedly had a gun.
Bowen was northbound on State Route 605, Bloomsbury Road, and couldn't make the turn onto State Route 218 in time, Molnar said.
He braked, ran off the road and struck an embankment. Police determined his speed at impact was 25 mph. Bowen, who was wearing a seat belt, suffered minor injuries in the crash, and his cruiser was a total loss with $15,413 in damage.
"I hope his driving experience is not the norm for a police officer," said Candy Priano, executive director of the national group Voices Insisting on PursuitSAFETY. "They have to demonstrate and show the public the right way to drive."
The group focuses on avoiding deaths of innocent bystanders and law enforcement officers during police chases and responses. It cites staggering figures from the National Traffic Safety Administration and the FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin about the number of people killed when police are responding to calls.
At least three innocent bystanders are killed each week in the United States, the PursuitSAFETY website reports. The crashes also kill one officer about every six weeks.
Priano's 15-year-old daughter died in 2002 when a teen driver, fleeing police, T-boned the family van. Priano stressed that her group wants police officers to drive responsibly when they're in pursuit or responding to a call--for their safety as well as the safety of others.
"We've got to quit calling these tragedies 'accidents' because they're not accidents," she said. "They're predictable and preventable."
Cathy Dyson: 540/374-5425
Email: cdyson@freelancestar.com
