Judge dismisses manslaughter charge against man involved in fatal Surry crash

A Blue Hill man no longer faces a manslaughter charge in a 2021 crash that left an Ellsworth woman dead.

In exchange for the judge dismissing the manslaughter charge, Thomas Bugbee admitted to a civil charge of motor vehicle violation resulting in death on Friday in Hancock County Superior Court, according to the Ellsworth American .

As a result, Bugbee will have a four-year license suspension and make a $1,000 donation to Doctors Without Borders, the newspaper reported.

Bugbee was driving a 2019 Subaru Outback on Surry Road in Surry on July 28, 2021, when he tried to pass several vehicles before reentering the westbound lane. But Bugbee struck a 2016 Honda Civic, which left the road and rolled over.

Bugbee’s Subaru then spun out and hit an eastbound 2006 Chevrolet Trailblazer driven by 66-year-old Kathleen Anderson, who suffered a head injury and died at the scene.

Bugbee was charged in March 2022 with vehicular manslaughter.

His attorney, Walter McKee of Augusta, told the court that the crash was the result of a medical event, according to the Ellsworth American.