Newark – Delaware State Police have identified the 21-year-old man, killed in yesterday’s tragic motorcycle accident on Route 273, as Elijah H. Green, of Newark.
Just before 1:00 on Monday, May 7, 2018, Green was traveling eastbound on SR 273, when he lost control of the 2008 Kawasaki ZX600P8 motorcycle he was operating.
Troopers said Green had just cleared the intersection at Ruthar Drive when he began to lose control of the motorcycle and struck the face of the guardrail positioned in the median.
The front tire became dislodged during the collision with the guardrail and Green was thrown from the bike.
He suffered traumatic injuries during the accident and succumbed at the scene. (Full details of the crash below.)
Green, a corrections officer for the State of Delaware, was to assigned to the James T. Vaughn Correctional Center in Smyrna, according to the Department of Corrections Spokesman Jayme Gravell.
Gravell said that Green graduated from the Delaware Department of Correction’s 220th Academy, in July of 2017. He was also a corrections specialist in the US Army Reserves, added Gravell.
Early this morning, Tuesday, May 8, 2018, the Correctional Officers Association of Delaware posted an emotional statement on their Facebook page remembering Green.
“It’s with a heavy heart that COAD announces the passing of one of their very own. Correctional Officer Elijah Green succumbed to injuries sustained during a motorcycle accident in the early afternoon hours of May 7, 2018. Officer Green will be missed by his family and friends. Please keep Officer Green’s family in your thoughts and prayers. We got it from here brother”
Many of Greens coworkers have offered condolences in response to the post.
“Correctional Officer Elijah Green was a promising young man with a bright future at the Department of Correction,” said Commissioner Perry Phelps. “He will be greatly missed by everyone he encountered. The DOC family mourns alongside his loved ones and friends.”
Many of Green’s friends, from his days at Hodgson Vo-Tech High School, have also been posting messages on social media throughout the day. Some offered prayers while others remembered his soccer and track abilities.
Greens accident is the second motorcycle accident involving a corrections officer in the last seven days. On Tuesday, May 1, 2018, 43-year-old Sgt. John Watts Jr., was involved in a serious motorcycle accident on Route 141. That accident left Watts in critical condition.
Details Surrounding Green’s Accident
The Delaware State Police Collision Reconstruction Unit is continuing to investigate a fatal motorcycle crash which occurred earlier this afternoon east of Newark, according to Director of Public Information, Sergeant Richard Bratz.
Bratz said the preliminary investigation has revealed the incident occurred at approximately 12:58 p.m., Monday, May 7, 2018 on SR 273 eastbound east of Ruthar Drive, Newark.
A 2008 Kawasaki ZX600P8 operated by a 21-year-old Newark man was traveling eastbound on SR 273 and had just cleared the intersection at Ruthar Drive. The motorcycle was in the left lane and for unknown reasons the operator began to lose control of the motorcycle and struck the face of the guardrail positioned in the median just as he was beginning to curve right. The front tire became dislodged during the collision with the guardrail. After the operator was ejected, the motorcycle continued to travel on its side in an easterly direction coming to a stop in the right lane of SR 273 eastbound.
The operator of the Kawasaki, who was wearing a helmet, was pronounced dead at the scene by responding EMS. Impairment on the part of the operator does not appear to be a contributing factor. Speed is being considered a factor in the crash, said Bratz. Identification of the victim is pending notification of next of kin.
DE SR 273 eastbound was closed east of Ruthar Drive for approximately two hours while the crash was investigated and cleared. 
