The dump truck driver in a fatal crash that killed a pregnant woman in Montgomery County faces murder charges

The driver of a dump truck who caused a crash in Lower Providence Township that killed a pregnant woman and her unborn child earlier this year now faces third-degree murder charges, prosecutors said Wednesday.

Everett Clayton, 56, of Charleston, W.Va., was charged after prosecutors discovered that he had been driving the construction vehicle recklessly for nearly 30 minutes before the fatal collision, speeding and almost hitting other vehicles as he drove, they said.

Clayton remained in custody in lieu of $500,000 bail. There was no indication he had hired an attorney.

» READ MORE: The dump truck driver who struck and killed a woman in Lower Providence Township is wanted for her death, DA says

Clayton was initially charged with homicide by vehicle, careless driving, driving an unregistered vehicle, and related offenses in the Aug. 25 crash, which killed Kellie Adams and her unborn child. At the time the charges were filed, Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin Steele said the truck, which had not been properly inspected, had been turned into a “lethal weapon.”

Adams, the mother of two young sons, was driving her Chevrolet Tahoe on South Park Avenue when the crash occurred, according to the affidavit of probable cause for Clayton’s arrest. Clayton, in a Ford F650 XLT Super Duty, drove around a sharp curve in the road too quickly, authorities said.

Clayton lost control of the truck, causing it to fishtail, the affidavit said. When he sharply turned his wheel in an attempt to regain control, he struck Adams’ Tahoe, authorities said, hitting it with enough force to send it into a nearby field. The truck flipped over, and its cab disconnected from the bed in the back.

In an interview with detectives, Clayton said he had drunk two beers that day, including one 30 minutes before the crash, and he had the remnants of a six-pack in the truck with him, the affidavit said. His blood-alcohol level, however, was .076, under the legal limit, and he does not face DUI charges in the crash.

Inspectors working with county detectives noted that the truck did not have a valid state inspection, and likely would have failed one: Its rear tires were mismatched and there was an issue with its braking system, according to the affidavit.

After Clayton’s arrest in November, detectives analyzed his cell phone and found that he had been recording a video as he drove, propping the cell phone up on the truck’s dashboard, the affidavit said.

In the video, Clayton can be seen speeding and tailgating other vehicles, some of which pulled over to let the dump truck pass. He also nearly caused several other collisions, including one with a landscaping trailer that led Clayton to swerve into oncoming traffic at the last minute.

Clayton later told detectives he had been working at a nearby job site, and was following another worker in a pickup truck, the affidavit said. He was speeding, he told the detectives, because he had been told by his supervisors “not to lose” his coworker.