Four people died in a nighttime wrong-way wreck involving two pickup trucks on Interstate 495 in Delaware.
The wreck after the I-95 split near Exit 1 - U.S. Route 13 took place Wednesday around 11:50 p.m. and left the northbound lanes of I-495 in New Castle County closed for hours into Thursday morning.
The 48-year-old driver of a 2004 Ford F-150 was travelling southbound in the left lane of northbound I-495 as a 2020 Toyota Tacoma driver went in the correct direction in the same lane, Delaware State Police said in a news release. The Ford went "directly into the path of the Toyota resulting in a head on collision."
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One pickup truck had severe front-end damage and two of its wheels torn off, the other vehicle was left nearly unrecognizable after they came to rest near the point of impact.
The Elkton, Maryland, man driving the Ford was pronounced dead on the scene, police said.
The 41-year-old Philadelphia woman driving the Toyota was also pronounced dead at the scene, police said. Two passengers in her truck died at a nearby hospital.
Transportation and Transit
None of the people involved were named as of late Thursday morning as next of kin were still being notified.
Everyone was searing their seat belts, police said.
It took about five hours to clear the wreckage and investigate before the highway could be reopened ahead of the Thursday morning rush.
Delaware troopers asked anyone with information on the wreck to contact Master Cpl. Breen at 302-365-8486. You can also contact Delaware Crime Stoppers online or at 1-800-TIP-3333.
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