UPDATE: Maryland’s leading gay marriage foe, Don Dwyer, drinking before boating accident
Update August 23, 7:15 p.m.:
WBAL News is reporting that Don Dwyer “admits that he was drinking alcohol” before he and one fellow passenger collided with a family of seven on the Magothy River. Several children were involved. Dwyer said he had been operating his boat which sank as a result of the accident. Dwyer appeared in a wheelchair, with a neckbrace and leg cast, to make this statement to the press:
“It is true that I was drinking while operating my boat yesterday. It has also been reported that my blood alcohol content was .20. No one, no one should be drinking and operating a motor vehicle or power boat. I deeply regret my actions and I ask for forgiveness from the public. My heart and prayers go out to the family that was involved in the incident, and I pray for them to have a speedy recovery. Thank you.”
Maryland’s blood alcohol limit is measured at .08. Dwyer seems to be saying his was measured at more than twice that level of intoxication.
The Annapolis Capital Gazette reports that “a 5-year-old girl suffered a fractured skull and a young boy suffered from a broken arm.” The paper quotes Dwyer’s fellow Republican Delegate, Nic Kipke, as saying, “Everybody makes mistakes but this is something that’s inexcusable.”
Original post August 23, 12:15 a.m.:
Maryland Delegate Don Dwyer was reportedly injured late Wednesday evening in a boating accident. The incident happened in the Gibson Island area of Pasadena, MD and, according to witness accounts, involved two fast-moving vessels. WJZ-TV interviewed Lt. Keith Hamilton of the Anne Arundel Fire Department who said of the 7 p.m. accident:
”We had a total of nine patients. Seven of them were transported to area facilities, two people refused… The patients range in age from five to 54.”
The Baltimore Sun reported that Dwyer was listed in “serious condition,” but Sgt. Brian Albert of the Department of Natural Resources Police added:
“He’s talking with our investigator, and he seems to be OK.”
Dwyer is best known in the Maryland State Assembly for his efforts to block the legalization of marriage for gay and lesbian couples. In 2007, he began by proposing an amendment to ban gay marriages in Maryland. He called for removal of Judge Brooke Murdoch, unsuccessfully tried to impeach Attorney General Doug Gansler, and he publicly testified in 2011 that his fellow legislators needed to consider that his version of God is opposed to homosexuality and same-sex marriages.
Don Dwyer has also been instrumental in bringing the Civil Marriage Protection Act up for a public referendum on this November’s ballot. Question 6 is worded so that marriage supporters should vote “FOR” the measure.
Read more about Dwyer’s work at his official website.
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