Elkton man killed in wrong-way crash with tractor-trailer on Route 301 in Middletown
MIDDLETOWN, DE – A 31-year-old Maryland man was killed early Monday morning after his vehicle collided head-on with a tractor-trailer while driving the wrong way on US Route 301 in Middletown, according to Delaware State Police.
The crash occurred on September 1 at approximately 1:40 a.m., when a Kenworth tractor-trailer was heading southbound in the left lane on Route 301 near Bunker Hill Road. At the same time, a Ford Focus was traveling northbound in the same southbound left lane, leading to a head-on collision between the two vehicles.
The driver of the Ford, now identified as Sean Hannon of Elkton, Maryland, was pronounced dead at the scene. Police initially withheld his name pending family notification.
The driver of the Kenworth, a 60-year-old man from Yonkers, New York, was seriously injured and taken to a nearby hospital. A 62-year-old female passenger in the Kenworth, also from Yonkers, was also transported with serious injuries.
US Route 301 remained closed for an extended period while the Delaware State Police Collision Reconstruction Unit processed the scene.
Investigators have not confirmed why Hannon was driving in the wrong direction at the time of the crash. The investigation is ongoing.
Anyone with information or who may have witnessed the incident is asked to contact Corporal K. Oakes at (302) 365-8483 or reach out through Delaware Crime Stoppers.
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Key Points
- Sean Hannon, 31, of Elkton, Maryland, died in a wrong-way crash on Route 301 in Middletown early Monday
- His Ford Focus collided head-on with a southbound tractor-trailer, injuring both occupants of the truck
- Route 301 was closed for several hours as investigators worked to determine what led to the fatal collision