SMYRNA, DE – Delaware State Police are investigating a fatal motor vehicle collision involving two work trucks that occurred on Wednesday, at approximately 11:43 a.m. A 2021 International Box Truck was northbound on Korean War Veterans Memorial Highway (Route 1) in the right lane north of Exit 114 when the operator fell asleep at the wheel and drifted off the east edge of the roadway. At the time, a 2018 International Flatbed Truck was stopped on the northbound right shoulder of Route 1 north of Exit 114, and its operator was outside of the vehicle.
The front of the box truck struck the left rear of the flatbed truck, also hitting the operator of the flatbed truck during the collision. The box truck then swerved to the left, traveling across both northbound lanes of Route 1 and off the west edge of the roadway, where it struck a guardrail with its left front bumper and into the grass median.
The 24-year-old male operator of the box truck from Ranson, WV, was transported to an area hospital for minor injuries. A 57-year-old male passenger from Baltimore, MD, who was in the box truck, was pronounced deceased at the scene. The victim’s identification is pending notification to the next of kin.
The 60-year-old male operator of the flatbed truck from Somerset, NJ, was transported to an area hospital in critical condition. The northbound lanes of Route 1 were closed for approximately four and a half hours while the collision was investigated, and the roadway was cleared.