WESTON, W.Va. — A man charged in connection with a fatal boating accident on Stonewall Jackson Lake in Lewis County last summer is set to go on trial early next year.
Tyson Bubnar will appear before a judge in a two-day bench trial set for Jan. 19, 2023 at 9 a.m. in Lewis County Circuit Court. A judge on Wednesday scheduled the trial date as well as pre-trial hearing for Jan. 6, 2023 at 9 a.m., according to the Lewis County Circuit Clerk’s Office.
Bubnar faces charges of negligent homicide, care and handling of a watercraft and three counts of pulling a tube without a PFD (personal flotation device) following the July 4, 2021 death of Sarah Hutchinson, of New Albany, Ind.
Hutchinson, 29, was a student at Alderson Broaddus University and Bubnar was her professor. She died when the tube she was riding on collided with a rock wall.
Bubnar was charged in Oct. 2021 following a lengthy investigation conducted by the state Division of Natural Resources Police.
Hutchinson was riding on the tube with her two friends Kayla Sands, of Denver, Colorado and Megan Wade, of St. Louis, Missouri, who were injured. None of them were wearing life jackets at the time.
Investigators said Hutchinson died at the scene while Sands and Wade were both hospitalized for several weeks.
At the time of the accident, Alderson Broaddus University released the following statement:
“The AB campus community is deeply saddened to learn of one of our alumna and student Sarah Hutchinson’s passing. Our entire campus community grieves this loss, and we extend our deepest condolences to the families and hold them in our prayers.”
The negligent homicide charge carries up to a one year in prison and a fine of $100 to $1,000.
Bubnar has been free on bond. According to his LinkedIn profile, he left Alderson Broaddus in May and is currently working as a physician assistant in Alaska.