Kirby D. Anderson 04-23-09

Wasilla woman thrown from ATV dies of injuries

By JAMES HALPIN, jhalpin@adn.com

Published: April 24th, 2009

A woman who was ejected this week from an ATV driven by a man later charged with drunken driving has died, according to Alaska State Troopers.

Wasilla resident Kirby D. Anderson, 24, died from her injuries at about 1 p.m. Thursday after undergoing emergency surgery and spending five days at Providence Alaska Medical Center, troopers said.

Anderson was fatally injured in an accident at Bogard and Stoney Hollow roads at about 12:35 a.m. Sunday.

Troopers say Wasilla resident Brandon L. Dickey, 26, was driving his 2007 Polaris Ranger XL south on Bogard when he took a hard left turn, throwing Anderson out the right side of the vehicle.

Neither person was wearing a seat belt, and Dickey had been drinking, troopers said.

Immediately after the accident, Dickey was arrested on charges of first-degree assault and driving under the influence and booked at the Mat-Su pretrial facility with bail set at $100,000, troopers said.

Troopers say the investigation is continuing. It was not immediately clear if Dickey would be facing more severe charges.

Find James Halpin online at adn.com/contact/jhalpin or call him at 257-4589.

ATV driver charged with manslaughter in passenger's death

By RINDI WHITE, rwhite@adn.com

Published: May 15th, 2009

WASILLA -- A Wasilla man who Alaska State Troopers say ejected his female passenger while driving a side-by-side ATV after drinking last month is facing numerous charges, starting with manslaughter.

According to an affidavit from Alaska State Trooper Richard Chambers, Brandon L. Dickey was driving a green 2007 Polaris Ranger southbound on Bogard Road just after midnight on April 19 when he made a hard left turn. His passenger, 24-year-old Kirby Anderson of Wasilla, was ejected onto the road and suffered a serious head injury.

Anderson was taken to Providence Alaska Medical Center for emergency neurosurgery. She died April 23, according to Troopers.

The Polaris was equipped with seatbelts, but neither Dickey nor Anderson was wearing one, Chambers' affidavit says.

Chambers said Dickey failed a series of field sobriety tests and was taken to Mat-Su Pretrial Facility, where he later posted bail.

A search of the Polaris turned up a loaded Ruger 10/22 pistol.

In addition to manslaughter, Dickey has been charged with criminally negligent homicide and first degree manslaughter, plus the initial charges of driving under the influence and fourth-degree misconduct involving a weapon. Alaska law prohibits carrying a weapon while drunk.

Dickey faces arraignment on the new charges on May 26.

Find reporter Rindi White online at adn.com/con

Driver sentenced for ATV accident that killed woman
13 MONTHS: Victim was thrown from side-by-side in sharp turn.

By RINDI WHITE, rwhite@adn.com, Published: November 18th, 2009

WASILLA -- Brandon Dickey of Wasilla received a 13-month sentence for a four-wheeler accident last April that killed Kirby Anderson, a 24-year-old Wasilla woman who was riding in the side-by-side four-wheeler he was driving.

Dickey, 25, may serve his sentence under electronic monitoring instead of in jail. Elizabeth Dean, Anderson's mother, said by phone from her home in Virginia that she requested Dickey be allowed to serve his sentence under house arrest. Her husband was still weighing whether he supports that request, she said.

"I miss my daughter terribly. She was my life and my husband's life, too. Not a day goes by where we don't grieve her. But I know (Dickey) has a small child that he has to provide for, too," she said.

His attorney, Joshua Fannon, confirmed the details of his sentence but said he would not comment more on the case. Dickey's mother, Terry Dickey, said her son was devastated by the accident. It's caused him to rethink his attitude toward life, she said.

"He realizes how in the blink of an eye, your life can change. His literally did, as well as hers (Anderson's)," she said.

According to Alaska State Trooper reports and Dickey's mother's account, Dickey was driving a green 2007 Polaris Ranger south in the ditch on Bogard Road after 12:30 a.m. on April 19 when he turned sharply onto Bogard Road to cross it.

Dickey and Anderson had just met at a party, Terry Dickey said. They had a couple drinks, not enough to feel impaired, she said, and decided to go out for a ride on the Ranger. When he turned onto Bogard, Anderson, who wasn't wearing a seat belt, fell out and suffered a serious head injury. She died at Providence Alaska Medical Center on April 23.

Troopers said Dickey failed sobriety tests at the scene and was taken to Mat-Su PreTrial Facility, where he later posted bail.

Dickey was convicted in August of a DUI and criminally negligent homicide, a class B felony punishable by one to three years in jail. He has a previous DUI, from 2002.

Terry Dickey said the first DUI happened after her son came home from college. He was drinking while underage.

"Since that time he's been very careful that, if he decides to drink, he would not drive," she said. "I don't believe he has a drinking problem. (After the April accident) he has no desire to drink again -- he saw the devastating effects of that mistake."

In addition to the sentence on house arrest, Dickey will have five years' probation, will lose his license for a year and must use an ignition interlock device for two years. The device requires the driver to submit to a breath-alcohol test before driving and while the car is operating.

Terry Dickey said her son also lost his North Slope job as a result of the accident.

Dean, Anderson's mother, said she and her husband, Ted Dean, asked Dickey to perform community service by speaking out about the dangers of alcohol abuse.

"So many people think they're invincible. I'm sure my daughter didn't think that was going to be the last day of her life," she said. "If somebody else can be spared what we've been put through. ..."

Dean said her daughter worked as a technician at Geneva Woods pharmacy. She said life in Alaska had been difficult for her daughter, who had grown up in Corpus Christi, Texas, and loved the beach. She was a gregarious girl with many friends. Dozens share memories and thoughts about her on a Facebook tribute page Dean set up.

Anderson moved to Alaska with her husband, David Anderson, who worked on the North Slope. The couple had recently had a daughter, Layla, whom Dean said was the biggest joy in her daughter's life. State court records show the couple was divorcing when the accident occurred.

Dean said her daughter was "moving forward" and planned to go to school to become a pharmacist. She spoke to her daughter by phone every morning and evening. That's why, when she didn't hear from her on the day of the accident, Dean said she immediately became worried. She said she's still trying to understand what happened the night her daughter died. At the sentencing, which the Deans attended by telephone, her husband asked Dickey to write a letter explaining what happened.

"Not knowing is hard," she said.