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| CO Dies in Accident |
| By Uniontown Herald Standard |
| Published: 11/18/2002 |
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A 32-year-old corrections officer at the State Correctional Institution at Greene, Pa., died late Wednesday night after he was struck by a car driven by a prison nurse while the officer was leading an emergency response team nighttime drill. Officer David H. Bowser Jr. of Carmichaels was pronounced dead in Greene County Memorial Hospital shortly after the 10:30 p.m. accident along Progress Drive, which connects Route 21 to the prison. Bowser, whose rank was Corrections Officer 1, worked at the Waynesburg facility for all seven years of his employment with the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections. He started in February 1995, according to prison spokesperson Sharon L. D'Eletto. A Marine veteran, he was a lance corporal in Saudi Arabia during the Gulf War. State police in Waynesburg said Bowser was calling the cadence from the left side of a group of officers jogging in formation along the western edge of the road when he was struck by Linda Casner, 48, of Dilliner. Police and the prison's security department released few details about the accident, noting they are continuing to investigate the incident. Casner, who has worked at the prison as a licensed practical nurse since October 2001, is the wife of Maj. James Casner who also works at the facility. She was leaving work when the accident occurred. 'They were loyal staff members very dedicated to their positions and I feel deeply sorry for both families,' D'Eletto said. 'It's a very somber atmosphere in the institution because both were staff members. We've never experienced anything like that at this institution before. This is a first.' She said Superintendent William S. Stickman III ordered a modified lockdown Thursday, suspending all routine activities for the current inmate population of 1,719 in the close-security prison, which houses most of the state's capital case inmates. Another 30 inmates were absent because of scheduled court appearances. She didn't know if the lockdown would be continued today. She said the lockdown was ordered to allow the 731 employees to grieve. A Critical Incident Stress Team (CISM) was available to all staff for counseling. Bowser was leading a different team - the Corrections Emergency Response Team - when the accident occurred. |
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