GEORGETOWN, Del. - A crash involving a single car on DuPont Boulevard led to a car fire and a large emergency response.
The Ellendale Fire Company and Sussex County paramedics were alerted at 12:03 p.m. on April 17 to the crash near north of McColley’s Chapel Road. Ellendale said past Chief Walton arrived minutes later and reported a car off the road from the southbound lanes with the car on fire and CPR in progress.
Delaware State Police said the preliminary investigation showed that the Ford Explorer gradually exited the west edge of the road where it struck a mailbox, road sign, and a large embankment.
People who were passing by used fire extinguishers from their own cars to help control the fire, allowing the driver to be removed. Bystanders immediately began CPR before emergency crews arrived, according to first responders.
An Ellendale ambulance and Sussex County Medic 108 took over patient care and firefighters used a hose to put out the fire. Crews from Ellendale and Lincoln worked together to clear the roadway after the fire was extinguished and the patient was taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital.
The driver, 81-year-old Michael Jeffra, of Georgetown, was originally believed to have experienced a medical emergency prior to the crash. Jeffra died at the hospital. The investigation revealed that he died from injuries he sustained in the crash, said DSP.
Fire police assisted DelDOT with the road closure while DSP investigated the crash. The scene was cleared by 1:49 p.m.
Other agencies who assisted included Milton Fire Department and Memorial Fire Company fire police units, Sussex County EMS and Delaware State Police Aviation Section.
