Dover, DE : Troopers release identity of man killed in Route 1 collision on Thursday, 15th September 2016

The driver of a Chevrolet Aveo killed in a collision on Del. Route 1 Thursday evening has been identified as 77-year-old Daniel J. Gates of Millsboro.

Delaware State Police spokesman Master Cpl. Gary Fournier said Gates’ remains have been turned over to the state Division of Forensic Sciences for an autopsy. Gates was driving on the wrong side of the southbound lanes of Route 1 when his vehicle and a state police cruiser collided, Fournier said.

The injured 22-year-old trooper has been released from the hospital and is recovering from unspecified injuries at home, he said.

The division’s Collision Reconstruction Unit is continuing their investigation, but contrary to some reports, the trooper did not purposely ram Gates’ car in an attempt to stop him from traveling the wrong way on Route 1, Fournier said.

Troopers are faced with a near-impossible situation when encountering these conditions, particularly on a heavily traveled, high speed roadway.

“Unfortunately there is no way to stop wrong-way drivers,” he said.

Currently there are no indications Gates was speeding, Fournier added.

Delaware State Police spokesman Master Cpl. Gary Fournier has reported the car involved in a fatal crash on Del. Route 1 was driving in the wrong direction when it was hit by a state trooper.

A 77-year-old man from Millsboro was driving his car, a 2010 Chevrolet Aveo, northbound while in the southbound lane of the highway. The trooper hit the Aveo head-on, Fournier said.

The Aveo’s driver, who was not wearing a seatbelt, was pronounced dead at the scene. A dog riding in the car also was killed.

The 22-year-old trooper was airlifted to Christiana Medical Center, where he was admitted with non-life-threatening injuries.

Alcohol does not appear to have been a contributing factor in this crash, Fournier said.

Southbound Route 1 was closed for about four hours as the division’s Collision Reconstruction Unit investigated the crash. That investigation is continuing, Fournier said.

ORIGINAL STORY:

Delaware State Police are confirming the death of one person in a two-car crash involving a state police vehicle on Del. Route 1.

Delaware State Police spokesman Master Cpl. Gary Fournier said the crash took place at about 5:56 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 15 on the southbound side of the highway at the North Little Creek Road exit.

Preliminary investigation indicates the incident involves a state police vehicle and a passenger car and the person in the passenger car has been pronounced dead at the scene.

The trooper has been airlifted from the scene to an area hospital with apparent non-life-threatening injuries.

The State Police Collision Reconstruction Unit is at the scene and has assumed the investigation.

Route 1 southbound at Exit 104, Scarborough Road, has been closed for the duration, Fournier said. The northbound lanes are open.

Further details will be released upon the conclusion of the investigation, Fournier said.

Source :
Troopers release identity of man killed in Route 1 collision