BRIDGEVILLE, DE – Two people died Friday afternoon in a crash involving a car and a dump truck near Bridgeville, according to Delaware State Police. The collision happened around 12:40 p.m. Sept. 11 on Seashore Highway near Oak Road and left one vehicle engulfed in flames.
Investigators said a Toyota Camry was traveling east when a Peterbilt dump truck came toward it from the opposite direction. For reasons still under investigation, the Camry crossed into the westbound lane and moved into the truck’s path. The front ends of the two vehicles collided, setting off a chain of events that closed the highway for hours.
Police say Camry crossed into oncoming traffic
State police said the crash sequence began when the Camry drifted across the center of Seashore Highway and entered the westbound lane. The dump truck was approaching from the other direction at the time. The impact was between the fronts of both vehicles, according to investigators.
After the collision, the dump truck became fully engulfed in flames. Delaware State Police have not said what caused the Camry to cross lanes. The Troop 7 Collision Reconstruction Unit is handling the investigation and is continuing to piece together the moments leading up to the wreck.
Young driver and passenger died after the collision
The driver of the Camry was a 19-year-old man from Millsboro. He was pronounced dead at the scene, police said. His passenger, a 23-year-old woman from Honduras, was taken to an area hospital and later died from her injuries.
Authorities have not released either victim’s name, saying they are waiting until family members are notified. The deaths turned the crash into a fatal two-vehicle collision that left investigators working through the afternoon at the rural roadway near Bridgeville.
Dump truck driver survived with non-life-threatening injuries
The dump truck driver was a 58-year-old man from Ridgely, Maryland, according to police. He was taken to an area hospital with injuries that were not considered life-threatening.
Officials did not provide additional details about his condition beyond that initial assessment. The Peterbilt truck he was driving was part of the wreck that burned after the head-on impact, making the scene more complicated for emergency crews and investigators.
Third tractor-trailer avoided the wreck and ended up in a ditch
Police said a third vehicle was traveling behind the dump truck at the time of the crash. It was another Peterbilt tractor pulling a loaded car trailer. The driver was able to avoid the collision but went into a ditch instead.
That driver was not injured. Delaware State Police did not say whether the ditch entry caused damage to the tractor-trailer or whether it affected traffic beyond the main crash scene. The description of the near miss shows how quickly the wreck spread risk across the roadway.
Seashore Highway closed for about five hours during investigation
Seashore Highway stayed closed for about five hours while investigators documented the scene and crews cleared the roadway. The shutdown affected travel in the area near Oak Road, where the crash occurred on a busy stretch connecting local traffic through Sussex County.
Anyone who saw the crash or has video is being asked to contact Master Cpl. K. Argo at 302-703-3264. Delaware Crime Stoppers is also accepting tips at 800-847-3333. Police said the reconstruction unit continues to examine how the Camry crossed into the opposite lane and what happened in the seconds before impact.
