New Castle, DE : Four adults and three children injured in a multi-vehicle crash on Route 13 at Christiana Road in New Castle on Thursday. April 16, 2015

A driver was charged Thursday after state police say she caused a series of crashes at Hares Corner near New Castle that sent her and six other people to the hospital.

The crashes – on both north- and southbound sides of the highway – caused massive jams in morning rush hour traffic, affecting traffic for hours.

Rachael A. Prather, 30, of New Castle, was cited for inattentive driving, causing the crashes about 8 a.m. on both sides of North Du Pont Highway (U.S. 13) at Christiana Road (Del. 273), Master Cpl. Jeffrey R. Hale said.

The crash initially closed the highway's northbound side and part of the southbound side, with some lanes reopened shortly after 9 a.m.

One person was trapped in the wreckage but quickly was freed by emergency rescue personnel, paramedics said.

The crash occurred as Prather was southbound on North Du Pont Highway (U.S. 13), approaching the intersection with Christiana Road (Del. 273), Hale said.

She failed to notice traffic had stopped in front of her for a red light, he said.

She ran into the back of a stopped SUV, driven by Tonie L. Love, 63, of Wilmington, then her car continued southeast into northbound lanes where it struck two more vehicles that were stopped in traffic, Hale said.

In the northbound lanes, she hit a stopped car driven by Larry E. Sparks, 60, of Elkton, Maryland, and an SUV driven by Karen A. Ruckstool, 65, also of Elkton, he said.

The impact sent Ruckstool's SUV backward into a car driven by Cynthia M. Miller, 46, of New Castle, he said.

New Castle County paramedics treated four injured people at the scene and took them to Christiana Hospital, Paramedic Sgt. Michael A. McColley said.

Police identified the injured as Prather, Love and a 64-year-old man in Love's SUV.

The 30-year-old woman had chest injuries, face injuries and possible head injuries, McColley said. The older woman had head pain and the man had neck and back pain, he said.

Paramedics also treated a 2-year-old girl with minor cuts and took her to Christiana Hospital, McColley said.

All of those injured were described as stable.

Three others – passengers in two of the vehicles – had no apparent injuries, but were taken to the same hospital as a precaution, Hale said.

McColley said those were a 63-year-old man and two boys, ages 12 and 13.

Three northbound lanes and two southbound lanes remained closed for about two hours as the crash was investigated and wreckage was cleared.

Source :
7 HURT, INCLUDING SEVERAL CHILDREN, IN MULTI-VEHICLE CRASH IN NEW CASTLE, DELAWARE