After seven months of working its way through the court system, the case against a Maryland truck driver has ended in a plea bargain.
The case against Anthoni Lewinson, 33, of Elkton began last December when his tractor-trailer slammed into three vehicles on I-495 in Claymont, killing Yolanda Frank, 46, of Newark and critically injuring another.
The Delaware State Police Collision Reconstruction Unit investigated th fatal crash involving four vehicles, that occurred at approximately 10:53 a.m., Monday, December 3, 2018, on I-495 northbound north of Philadelphia Pike, according to Public Information Officer, Master Corporal Michael Austin.
Austin said the initial investigation has determined that a 2011 GMC Canyon pick-up truck, operated by a 63-year-old Havertown, PA man, was traveling I-495 northbound in the right lane, just north of Philadelphia Pike. A 2015 Infiniti GX60, operated by a 20-year-old, Philadelphia woman, was following directly behind the GMC and a 2002 Ford Explorer, operated by a 39-year-old Wilmington man, was directly behind the Infiniti. All three vehicles were slowing in traffic due to a temporary lane closure which was further to the north.
A 2011 Freightliner tractor-trailer operated by a 33-year-old Elkton, Maryland man was traveling northbound in the right lane behind the other vehicles and failed to slow in time, in turn striking the rear end of the Ford, according to Austin. The Ford was forced off the right side of the road into a steel guardrail before coming to rest in the northbound lanes. The Freightliner continued in a northerly direction striking the rear of the Infiniti, which was in turn pushed into the rear of the GMC. The Infiniti, GMC, and Freightliner all came to final rest in the northbound lanes of I-495.
The operator of the GMC was wearing his seatbelt and was not injured.
The operator of the Infiniti was not wearing a seatbelt and was transported to Wilmington Hospital with minor injuries.
The operator of the Freightliner was wearing his seatbelt and was not injured.
The operator of the Ford who was seat belted and was transported to the Christiana Hospital in critical condition.
Yolanda Frank, a front-seat passenger in the Ford, who was seat belted, was pronounced deceased upon arrival at Christiana Hospital.
The accident closed the northbound lanes of I-495 for over 5 hours.
At a hearing scheduled for 9:00 am Monday morning in New Castle County Superior Court Lewinson pleaded guilty to a charge of vehicular homicide, according to officials.
Lewinson will likely be sentenced in Superior Court before years end.
