‘Forever damaged:’ Widow recalls Father’s Day 2023 death of husband by alleged drunken driver
HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW) — A year ago on Father’s Day, three young children lost their dad after a violent crash that police said involved a drunk driver.
Thomas Brown, 41, of Longs, was killed in a two-car wreck off Robert Edge Parkway. His vehicle was crushed after Nancy Bishop’s landed on top of it.
Bishop, authorities said, had a blood alcohol level nearly three times the legal limit at the time, and investigators found an open container of wine along with a cup containing a liquid “consistent with the contents of the wine bottle,” according to a police report.
Brown’s widow, Ana, said the family were out celebrating Father’s Day at a local park before going out to dinner in what would be their final day together.
“My children last year did not understand what death was, and having to learn in such a horrible way, it took months to understand how permanent this was, that he’s not coming back,” Ana told News13 on Sunday. “I mean, it’s an endless, endless list of horrible, horrible experiences since my husband was killed.”
Two of the Browns’ three children, aged 6, 5, and 1 when Thomas died — have autism.
“They miss their father every day. Especially the oldest. She remembers him very well,” Ana Brown said.
Bishop faces two felony DUI charges related to the June 18, 2023 wreck. She’s out on a $100,000 bond but has been on a GPS monitor as she awaits future court appearance.
A judge on June 10 denied her request for removal of the device, though it could be made again in 90 days.
A GoFundMe page launched shortly after Thomas’s death has raised more than $13,000. And in February, Ana Brown received a $175,000 settlement from a wrongful death suit filed against Bishop, court documents show.
Bishop-wrongful-death-settlementDownload
“She’s destroyed us in so many ways, and my body has been forever damaged by what she’s done to us,” Ana Brown, who was also severely injured in the crash, said.
Brown says she wants to honor her husband’s memory by standing together against drunk driving, hoping to remind people of the lasting impact that a reckless decision can have.
“My husband cannot ever be brought back, but if we can keep others from making the same bad decisions, then his life would not have been in vain,” she said.
* * *
Adam Benson joined the News13 digital team in January 2024. He is a veteran South Carolina reporter with previous stops at the Greenwood Index-Journal, Post & Courier and The Sun News in Myrtle Beach. Adam is a Boston native and University of Utah graduate. Follow Adam on X, formerly Twitter, at @AdamNewshound12. See more of his work here.
Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WBTW.
