Lewes– The Delaware State Police Collision Reconstruction Unit is currently investigating a crash involving a Delaware State Trooper and a pedestrian that occurred earlier this morning, according to Public Information Officer, Master Corporal Melissa Jaffe.
jaffe said the incident occurred at approximately 5:04 a.m., Tuesday, September 18, 2018, as a fully marked Delaware State Police, 2013 Chevrolet Tahoe was traveling northbound on Coastal Highway, (SR 1) with a green light approaching the intersection of Dartmouth Drive. A 67-year-old male, from Lewes was operating a motorized wheelchair and attempting to cross Coastal Highway from the east to the west within the crosswalk.
For unknown reasons, the pedestrian failed to obey the crosswalk signal and crossed directly in front of the Tahoe. In an attempt to try and avoid the collision, the Trooper braked suddenly and swerved to the left, however, struck the left side of the motorized wheelchair within the middle of the crosswalk. After impact, the pedestrian was ejected from the wheelchair and came to rest in the middle of the northbound lane of travel.
The pedestrian was transported by ambulance to the Beebe Medical Center where he remains in stable condition.
The Trooper who was on duty and assigned out of Troop 7, Lewes, was wearing his seatbelt and did not sustain injuries as a result of this crash.
The Collision Reconstruction Unit is continuing their investigation into this incident. Northbound Coastal Highway in the area of Dartmouth Drive was closed for approximately 2 hours while the crash was investigated and cleared.
