LEWES, Del. - A car crash occurred Tuesday at the intersection of Route 9 and Old Vine Boulevard, resulting in a van crashing to a nearby apartment building and catching fire. The call for the crash was dispatched to Lewes Fire Department at 2:12 p.m.
According to Delaware State Police, a Chevrolet Silverado was driving west on Route 9, slowing for stopped traffic at the red light at Old Vine Boulevard. A Ford Transit Van was also driving west on Route 9 behind the truck. At the same time, a Dodge Durango was driving eastbound on the highway, approaching Old Vine Boulevard. Police later confirmed that the Durango was a secret service car.
The investigation revealed that the van failed to slow down, and the driver’s side front of the van hit the rear passenger’s side of the truck. The impact caused the truck to enter the eastbound lane of travel where its driver’s side front hit the driver’s side front of the secret service SUV. The van continued off the road, came to a stop and caught fire near the apartment building of the Vineyards at Nassau.
The fire caused damage to the building, but police said no one in the building was injured.
A 68-year-old man from Georgetown was the driver of the Silverado, the driver of the van was a 41-year-old man from Milton and the driver of the Durango was a 42-year-old-man from Pennsylvania. All of the drivers involved were taken to the hospital and were reported to have non-life-threatening injuries.
Police said the van driver was charged with inattentive driving. The Office of the State Fire Marshal is investigating the fire damage to the building and property.