Marlow man charged with vehicular homicide for two deaths after three-car crash

A Marlow man has been charged with vehicular homicide in the deaths of two women who died after a three-car collision on Oliver Springs Highway in November.

Danny L. Bean, 55, of Ford Road, has been charged with two counts each of vehicular homicide by intoxication and two counts of vehicular homicide by recklessness. He has also been charged with reckless endangerment and failure to maintain a single lane.

Bean allegedly crossed the center line while driving southbound in a Toyota 4-Runner on Oliver Springs Highway on Nov. 1, causing a head-on collision with a Hyundia Elantra drive by Alberta Farrer, 56, of Clinton, according to the Tennessee Highway Patrol. Farrer died Nov. 8, a week after the accident, at the University of Tennessee Medical Center.

Her passenger, Pat Smith, 62, of Clinton, died a few days later, on Nov. 12, also at the UT hospital, according to the Tennessee Department of Safety.

A Chevrolet pickup driven by Travis Gallaher, 19, of Oliver Springs, was behind Farrer at the time of the accident. Gallaher had been headed toward Oliver Springs. He braked and swerved left to avoid the crash, but the collision between Bean’s SUV and Farrer’s car pushed the two vehicles toward his truck, and the pickup hit Farrer’s Elantra on the driver’s side, the THP said.

Farrer and Smith were flown by medical helicopter to the UT Medical Center, authorities said. Bean was taken by ambulance to the UT hospital, and Gallaher was taken to a local hospital by a personal vehicle.

The accident occurred near Marlow Circle and Anderson Memorial Gardens on Oliver Springs Highway, which is also known as State Route 61.

Indictments against Bean were filed by an Anderson County grand jury on May 7, and he was arrested by the THP, which investigated the accident. Bean remained jailed at the Anderson County Detention Facility in Clinton on Friday evening. His bond on the six charges in the indictments has been set at $75,000.

Bean has a May 31 arraignment in Anderson County Criminal Court.